


Save State

by Aviantei



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: F/M, Glitch fic, Not gonna lie this idea is weird, Original Region, POV First Person, Self-Indulgent, With like one canon cameo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-07 22:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 48,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20316847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aviantei/pseuds/Aviantei
Summary: In order to achieve a dream, one must wake up from it first. Faced with a decision, the hero must break out of their assigned role and go on to what they think is right. And from there is where the dream truly begins. [OC Centric]





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally posted on fanfiction.net between July 25, 2013 and April 8, 2017. This is one of my stories where I had a weird dream and decided to turn it into a fic. Though it's weird, I like the result. What happens to your game once you choose not to play anymore? 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

Prologue

* * *

The wind was at my back, making running all the easier. I made my way forwards in leaps and bounds, jumping down the ledges as they came. Every now and then, I would lose my balance, thanks to the ground shaking.

I didn’t care. I had to keep moving. After traveling around the country for weeks on foot and bike, this was nothing. I had to keep going. It would take a while and be exhausting, but I had to do it. Everything had been for this.

I pushed forward.

Past the colors and scenery. Past everything so familiar yet foreign. Over ground that was hard, ground that was too soft to get a proper foothold in. Without resistance, through a path that pushed against me harder than any tall grass. I overcame it all because I had to.

And ultimately I stopped. I nearly ran into the obstacle, then stopped. Breathing heavily, I placed my hands on the wall to keep standing. Highly textured plastic met my skin, intricate patterns formed before my eyes. The source of the shaking got closer, and I struggled to stay on my feet.

I turned around, stared at the sight before me. At my waist, a pokéball twitched, then broke open on its own. Wicker stood her ground, tiny form against the odds at the giant before us. Her mouth opened, emitting a beautiful cry into the air.

And then the surreal world was gone, and I was left sitting in my living room.

Wicker nudged my arm. I saw it. Still there, still ready to strike. From here, it was far less intimidating. I could have taken care of it in that moment, made it mine, but I didn’t.

The vacuum cleaner was sitting beside me. I grabbed the nozzle and placed it over my opponent, my should-be prize. I flicked on the switch. Lifting up the nozzle, there was nothing left. Wicker nudged an empty ultra ball over to me from where it had fallen out of my pack earlier. Without even thinking, I sucked it up, too.

_Now I just need to go to the title screen and—_


	2. File One: Memory Error

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

File One: Memory Error

* * *

“Oi, —, you gonna come help us today?”

“Sorry,” I said, “but I can’t. I have something important I need to do.”

Fri sighed, shaking her head. Strands of her hair swayed with the movement. “—, you’ve been making the excuse for weeks,” she complained. A disgusted look crept onto her face. “Every day it’s ‘something important,’ but you just lay around in the house doing nothing. It’s not like you’re doing the housekeeping this place so desperately needs. We could all really use your help, you know.”

“I know, I know, preparations for the summer festival, right?” I sat up on the couch, stretching, but moved no further. “I get that it’s a busy time, but I just can’t help out. I mean, if it’s something important that won’t take too much time, sure. But if it’s some time-consuming, week-long project like I _know_ you love to take part in, count me out.”

“You’re not doing anything else with your life, anymore, —.” Fri frowned, glaring down from where she stood over me. Even her hands were planted firmly on her hips. It was an impressive sight. “I thought pushing you to go on a journey would be good for you. And for a while, I was right. But now you’re worse than you were before. Being the Champion has made you complacent. You don’t strive for anything anymore.” She turned, heading towards the door. “If you ever decide to do anything again, I’ll be helping with the ceremony preparations.”

I winced as she slammed the door shut, then laid back down. I couldn’t say Fri was completely wrong. I hadn’t done much of anything in the past month and a half. I stayed in my house half the time, played with my Pokémon the other half. If anything, the incident with Wicker seemed like a dream, and that was the last time I had felt motivated. I still hadn’t told anyone about the incident.

What if it was a dream? I couldn’t shake the feeling it wasn’t, but didn’t want to take the chance. I had even checked the inside of the vacuum out of paranoia. Not even my ultra ball was there. Wicker at least understood, nudging me on every time I took care of her. Sometimes when she called out, it was terribly sad, like she knew something was missing, too.

If I were to lie around the house all day, Fri would just come back and yell at me some more. If I went out, she might see my by chance, and also yell at me some more. Further, she might also succeed in dragging me around this time. Not being able to accept that as the outcome, I chose to exert some energy now as opposed to later. I was a harder to find target if I was changing my location, anyway.

Outside it was peaceful. As always, the remains of Mom’s flower garden were somehow still perfectly healthy. I walked on. Like it should be during summer, it was definitely hot. Even so, the world was alive through the heat that had discouraged my own activity.

The silence didn’t last long. I was only able to make it off the path that led from my house into town before I could hear it. There were shouts of instructions and the general hubbub of excitement. I could even hear the sounds of handheld construction. They really were going all out this year.

Even though this was my own hometown, I stayed cautious as I walked down the street. There were a lot of people I didn’t care if they saw me, and I lot of people who I wouldn’t _mind_ if they saw me, but there were still a lot of people I definitely didn’t want to see me. In particular, there was one person I couldn’t afford to be seen by, and that person was Fri.

“Yooo, ——~, looong tiiime nooo seeeeeee,” a voice drawled out as a force attached itself to my leg. Fuji was someone that I could safely say fell into the neutral category, though her alliance could easily be changed. This could serve as either an advantage or a disadvantage. The small girl pulled closer, attempting to latch onto my sleeve and crawl up my arm. “Nee-chan’s been complaining about you, —, whatcha been up tooooo?”

“Fri’s complaining that much, huh?” I muttered, trying to ignore the idea. If even Fuji was catching wind of it, her sister must have been getting really sick of me. Fuji stared up at me with expectant eyes. I picked up the small girl as a distraction. I was in no ways prepared to give a satisfying explanation for my actions. “Look at you, Fuji-chan, don’t you look cute in your festival clothes!”

Fuji-chan’s expression brightened right on cue, a smile covering her face. “You think?!” she exclaimed. I sat her back down, watching her spin around. The sleeves of her yukata fluttered in the wind, but she mis-stepped mid-spin, causing her to trip in her sandals. The resulting fall ended with Fuji-chan’s face pressed against the front of my legs. This did nothing to dampen her mood, and she freed her mouth from the obstruction I was causing to her ability to speak. “Nee-chan finally said it was alright to wear her old yukata!”

I smiled. Fri was unnecessarily possessive of her belongings. I had taken one of her toys as a child and was hence beaten up for it. Fuji had a serious admiration for her sister, actually wanting hand-me-downs to become her own. In opposition, Fri was reluctant to give up things, even if she didn’t use them anymore. This was, thus, a great victory for the younger of the siblings.

“But the festival still isn’t for another few weeks,” I said. I know you’re excited, but you need to be careful. There’s a lot of paint and such flying around here. You don’t wanna get your sister’s yukata dirty before then.”

“Eeeeeeeeh?” Fuji looked as if the idea hadn’t even occurred to her. “I’ve been suuuper careful though. I even decided not to work on our class project today and just pass messages between everyone. And if I only wear it for one day before then, there’s no way it’ll get dirty, riiiight?”

That wasn’t an accurate description how probability worked, but I decided not to tell her that. Much like her sister, if Fuji was confident, she’d get the results she wanted. If not, she’d worry so much to the point that something _would_ go wrong as a result. Besides, the fact that I didn’t want Fuji in trouble, I could only imagine how much of the already stressed out Fri’s irritation would be dumped on me if something happened to the yukata she was probably still clinging to in her heart.

“I’m sure you’ll take care of it, though,” I said, just as extra assurance.

Fuji-chan smiled at me, a complete antithesis to any expression her sister had given me recently. I hadn’t seen Fri smile at me at all since I had become the Champion, a smile of true happiness that I had achieved a goal I had been trying to accomplish for so long. I probably could have seen a lot more of that smile if I had stayed in town. Instead I had run off on a quest to find legendary Pokémon, unlikely as it was. She had smiled when I left, too and smiled when I came back then…

Then what? I knew nothing. What the hell was I supposed to think of that strange dream, one I could have sworn mixed into reality but held no real influence over it, no real truth? Something had to have happened at that time, to cause my change in attitude. To make her stop smiling at me.

“Oooiii, ——~, you okaaay?” Fuji-chan pulled on my sleeve again, this time staying rooted on the ground. “I’m gonna take good care of the yukata, so don’t worry about it, alriiight?” Her eyes were wide as she stared up at me, almost like she was scared something had happened. She really did look like Fri did when we were kids. It was nostalgic, making me wish for something beyond a smile of a few weeks ago.

“Don’t worry, Fuji-chan, —‘s just spacing out again,” a voice commented. I turned my head towards the voice, scowling at their analysis. Errat grinned at me, streaks of paint marked across his face. I couldn’t tell if they were made on accident or intended as a declaration of war they were so chaotic yet organized. In his hands he held a few cans of paint. “And not to be rude, don’t you have a message to deliver down to your sister?”

“Aaaah, yeah that’s riiight…” Fuji-chan said slowly, looking up to the sky as if to check if that was the right answer to give. I looked up as well. A few clouds drifted by, not even bothering to block out the sun. It was definitely one of those days. “Ya seeeee, I haven’t talked to — in so long I figured it could wait, ya knoooow?.”

I directed my gaze back to Fuji-chan, who was sticking out her tongue cutely “If it’s something you were supposed to tell your sister, you should probably go,” I said without hesitation. Fuji-chan started at the words, looking surprised and disappointed at the same time. “She’s been working hard and if it’s something important she’ll need to know as soon as possible. It’s only something you can do, Fuji-chan, and people are counting on you.”

“Right!” Fuji-chan exclaimed, expression determined. “I’ll go find Nee-san right now! I better see you later, —, got it?!” Before I could even give a proper response, the small girl ran off in the direction I guessed she needed to take to get to Fri. I made my own mental note not to go that way, plus a short prayer that Fuji-chan didn’t trip over her sandals again.

“Fri’s been working hard, huh?” Errat said behind me one she was gone, a small smirk on his face. “—, you’ve been inside the whole time we’ve been working on the festival, you don’t know that. I mean, sure, it was a nice encouragement tactic, but it just shows how ignorant you are. Do you even have any idea of what Fri’s been doing this whole time?”

I frowned, glaring daggers into Errat as best I could. “Of course I know,” I said in defiance. “She’s been working on the ceremony procedures and set up, right? Good for her, she’s always wanted to work on that. She’ll work herself into the ground like she does every year, but it’ll be spectacular, I can tell you that much.”

“Close, but wrong,” Errat rejected. I could feel my confidence deflate. “She’s _in charge_ of the ei cted. " I can tell you that much." every year, but it' for her, she's how ignorant you are. Do you even have any ideaceremony this year. And as you know, that means she was nominated and accepted onto the main planning committee. Not to mention, she’s doing a stellar job of organizing everything, even if she doesn’t need to. Give here a few more years and Fri will be running the entire summer festival.”

For some reason, I felt a spike of pride at the idea. I hadn’t accomplished anything, but Fri was going on to do something she really wanted to do. “Guess she’ll have reached her goal in just a few more years… Maybe we should plan a party or something…”

“Hey, now.” Errat gave me a sour look, placing the paint cans he was carrying on the ground. I backed up a few steps, but he was able to back me against a tree without any easy escape routes. “You’re telling me Fri achieves her childhood dream and she gets a party, but I achieve mine and get nothing? How freakin’ unfair is that? You jerk, if anything I should get my party first!”

I did my best to push Errat back, at least for the sake of some breathing room. “Whoa, whoa, you serious?” I said, trying to put together the pieces. “What do you mean you went and achieved your dream? I’ve heard nothing about this, Errat. You’re the unfair one if anything.”

“Man, what do you think I’m hauling these cans around for?” he asked, pointing to his cargo. “It’s the head’s job to gather the essentials and instruct the rest into success. This here is me doing my job to pitch in and make the lives of every employee that will be working the Noda stand during the festival easier.”

“To be honest I thought you were helping someone else out…” I admitted scratching the back of my head. Errat pouted, but the expression quickly gave way to one of happiness. “Sorry, I should have known there’s no way you’d go and do anything else until the family stand was done. So when’d you get put in charge?”

He considered it for a moment, trying to get the exact date in mind, no doubt. When he failed, he settled for an estimate. “Three months before the start date for the festival,” he said. “Mom said that was the minimum amount of time she could afford to give it to me and still have the stand be a success. I would have liked more but…” Errat shrugged. “It just feels good to have your dream come true, you know?”

“Congratulations,” I said, the grin on Errat’s face becoming contagious. “Though if it was that long ago, why didn’t you tell me? I have a phone, you know. I would have been more than willing to take a break from traveling and come home. It wouldn’t have bothered me at all…”

Errat placed his hand in the air, a genuine “stop” motion. “No way,” he said, the refusal serious.

“Eh? Why not?”

“Because,” Errat said, his tone light again, “there’s no way I could distract you from your journey with something like this. You’re the only out of the three of us that decided to leave town. There’s no way Fri would’ve let me get away with distracting you from the world out there. Besides, I knew you would come back for the summer festival anyway. It’s not like I wouldn’t get to tell you. And we held off on the celebration, anyway. It’ll be a special dinner open to the whole festival that no one will ever forget!”

I was still disappointed, but I took some comfort in the fact that I would at least be able to celebrate with them. Errat had been dreaming of the chance to take over his family’s business ever since we were little kids. The succession had happened sooner than I had expected, but I was definitely happy for him.

“I bet that Fri’s pissed off she doesn’t have the time to be in charge of your party, though,” I commented.

“Seriously, —? As if she’d let anyone else do it.” I stared in shock at Errat, mostly because the actual cause of my surprise wasn’t here to direct my gaze at. He gave me a look that was playfully criticizing me for thinking that things would have gone any other way. “Of course Fri’s been planning my party. Even if she didn’t want to, I don’t think I could stand the idea of her _not_ being the one to do it.”

I thought about it. I don’t think I would be satisfied had anyone else set up my celebration for becoming Champion. Fri was our best friend, and knew us better than anyone else. She would set up things we didn’t even know we wanted until it was right in front of us. Despite all her OCD tendencies, the result would be perfect.

“But wait,” I said, putting the pieces together. “That means Fri is on the committee, in charge of the ceremony, planning out your celebration, and she _still_ has the time to come to my house and bother me to come and do work? What kind of monster did she grow up to be?”

Errat laughed, raising an eyebrow at me. “Maybe she’s trying to guilt trip you,” he suggested. “If Fri didn’t have to babysit you, she’d have a lot more time to finish up ame. "er me to come and do work? WHat ll of her other work.” I sighed. If that was her plan it had just gained a very high chance of success. I hoped I would be able to somehow make it through the narrow escape route that was provided for me. “More realistically, I’d say it’s because she wants you to be involved. Fri’s doing her best to see you achieve your dream, too, —.”

My cheeks heated up a bit. It was more out of shame than embarrassment. Fri was encouraging me in her own way while keeping up with the pressure of achieving her dream. I was sitting around doing nothing, waiting on someoped I would be able to somehow make i thing I needed to do without knowing what it was. It was pathetic in comparison on Fri’s efforts and Errat’s success.

“Speaking of dreams…” I started, not knowing where I was going with the sentence at all.

“Ah, that’s right,” Errat said, placing his hand on his chin. “In comparison to Fri, you sure have a ways to go. At this rate, you’ll be the one to finish your dream last. And you know we all agreed to a punishment game for whoever achieved their dream after the others.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Out of all times, I didn’t want to think of the promise we had made as kids now. I was dealing with enough already.

“Don’t give me that! It was your idea!” Errat said, calling my bluff. I avoided eye contact. “You can’t just back out now because it looks like you’re going to lose! It doesn’t work that! This is freakin’ war and you will accept the consequences!”

“Yeah, yeah…” I agreed, if only to prevent a scene. Causing too much of a commotion would only attract Fri’s attention, and she’d be obligated to check on it as a member of the committee. I was sticking to my plan of avoiding her at all costs. Errat smirked, a light coming into his eyes I wasn’t particularly enthused to see.

“I remember it like it was yesterday…” he said, wistful. “Good old Fri was doing her best to organize us for some act she wanted to put on at the festival. After a not-so innocent question by a not-so innocent someone, we were graciously informed of her dream to one day run the festival committee. Thus I felt obligated to say my dream was to take over the family restaurant. And then, one sweet, naïve, almost pathetic—”

“Please don’t describe me like that,” I interrupted.

“Fine,” Errat conceded.

“Also please stop telling this story.”

“No way. Then you said, eyes big and full of innocence and hope, ‘I’m going to catch the Pokémon that blesses our shrine every year!’” Errat added a flourish to his movements, sweeping his arms out for effect. “Man, we were so stunned that we didn’t know what to say. No one had ever gotten close to the Pokémon to see it clearly, let alone to catch it. And then you shoved the dream-achieving challenge down our throats, and the rest is history!”

My face had just recovered from blushing, but was now reverting back to its previous state. I grimaced, not in the mood for a retelling of my own childhood experience. “I know. I was there,” I gritted out, trying to become one with the tree I had been leaning against. “Do you have to tell that story every year? It’s embarrassing.”

“Would you rather I tell it at the opening ceremonies? Or better yet, how about I tell it during the blessing ceremony to all the kids? Fri’s in charge of that, so she’ll have to hear it, too. Then the legend of your impossible dream can be passed down to the new generation!” I made a sour face, and Errat laughed.

“Don’t you have work to do?” I snapped, putting an end to the conversation. He turned back to his cans, picking them up with ease. “Do me a favor. When Fri checks in on how the Noda stand is coming along, don’t tell her you saw me. If you do I’ll forgive you for me. If you do I', don'ation. He turned back to his cans, picking them up with ease. "sing ceremony as a orelureminding me of that event.”

“Can do,” Errat said, saluting. It was a miracle he didn’t hit himself in the face with the paint can. A few drops did leak out from the seal, adding to the splatter across his cheeks. “And thank you for your kindness.” He winked. I walked and tossed a wave over my shoulder, remembering to take the opposite direction that Fuji had gone. It would take a bit longer to get where I was going, but it would be worth it. Errat set off on his own, back to wherever his family was setting up shop.

“It’s impossible but if anyone can do it it’s you, —,” he said, just loud enough for me to hear. “I believe that. Fri does, too.”

“Yeah, I know…” I muttered. I knew his words were fact, but I just couldn’t feel them. There was something preventing me from taking their belief seriously when I knew there was no way to achieve what I had started my journey for.

Something important I had to do.

Whatever it was, it was potent enough to distract my attention from the desire to catch the Pokémon that blessed our town every year. The prime opportunity to do so, would be in a few weeks, when the festival happened. I should have been able to focus on it, with everything I had, but I just couldn’t. No matter how much Fri and Errat believed in me.

I tried to remember. I really did. I tried to remember the dream-like experience I had had, what it had felt like. What had happened and what had been driving me on? What did it leave desired, what did I have to do to get over it? What could I possibly do to get over this feeling, to focus on what was really important to me?

“‘Return… to the title screen and…’” I muttered, recounting the only part of the dream that had held any meaning. And what? What was I supposed to do?

“What the hell does that even mean, anyway?”


	3. File Two: Name Entry

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

File Two: Name Entry

* * *

While I would have preferred to take the straight route to the Pokémon lab, that wasn’t something I could bring myself to do in good conscience. Fuji had run off on the direct path, meaning Fri was more than likely in that direction. While what Errat had told me was enough to make me feel bad, I still couldn’t convince myself that helping out with the festival preparations was the right thing to so. If that something important came along, I needed to be able to tear myself away in a second.

Oeeded to be able to tear myself away in a second.

t preparations was the right thing to so. If that something important came alf course that was just an excuse at this point, an automatic mechanism in opposition to actual reason. I had tried to make myself think otherwise—that I shouldn’t be thinking about a dream so seriously, that I should be helping out Fri with whatever she needed to do—but couldn’t manage to do it. The more I tried not to think about it, the more it got stuck in my head that there was still something important left to do.

Taking the long route had its advantages. While the sky was still impeccably clear, the road I was forced to take was surrounded by trees, giving me the blessing of shade I had been in desperate need of. been in deserate needtake was surrounded by trees, giving me the blessing of shade i ing important left to do.

Since most of the stalls were gathered in the more open areas without trees to interfere, I was in good shape of avoiding everyone unless someone was off on an odd run to their house to grab supplies. The chatter of the preparations quickly faded into the distance, giving me a moment of peace.

My hometown was small, just barely a town and nestled into trees at all sorts of odd angles and turns. As a kid I had to learn just whichwn was small, just barely a town and nestled into trees at all sorts of odd angles and turns. As a kid I had to learn j paths to take to get to a number of places, Fri and Errat’s houses, the park, the lab, the store whenever Mom needed me to buy something. This involved the arduous task of memorizing trees and turns as landmarks, which had gotten me lost a fair share of times. Now they had built in signs to help out with the process, but I was confident that I could still remember exactly which way to go if I needed to.

The lab itself was nestled into a particularly dense pack of trees, a field cleared out behind it. The only boundaries were more trees, and wild Pokémon mingling in with trainer Pokémon was a common sight. I had heard that this was an unusual setup for a lab, and other regions didn’t utilize it. Something about worries of trainer Pokémon running off, which I didn’t see as an issue. My own team seemed to be perfectly content out here, and even had made friends with some of the local Pokémon.

I decided that it was better to play things safe than sorry. I snuck around the trees, trying to check the paths while still remaining in hiding. The lab usually ran a service for the kids during the festival, letting them play with the Pokémon so long as their trainers agreed. Fri shouldn’t have any reason to come here, but that was all the reason for her to go out of her way and help someone else out. The fact that the Professors participated in the shrine ceremony reason for her to go out of her way and help someone else out. The fact thadidn’t make me feel any less anxious.

Since the coast seemed clear enough, I decided to make a run for it. I snuck around the trees then made a sprint across the road. I bet I looked ridiculous running for all of three feet then stopping, but enough, I decided to make a run for it. I snuck around the trees then made a sprint across the roadI wasn’t willing to take any chances. I even took a precursory glance around the stoppinglobby to double check that no one unpleasant was there. The lab assistant stared at me from behind his glasses, eyes wide.

“Um… can I help you?” he asked, a hesitant tone in his voice. I knew he recognized me, so it was probably my odd behavior that was concerning him. I looked around the lobby again, but didn’t move from the door.

“Hey, Wato,” I said, glancing behind my back. I probably looked like one of those guys that ended up thinking someone was following them all the time so they just ended up as a paranoid mess. Then again, that wasn’t too off of a descriptor for what I was becoming. “There wouldn’t happen to be any of the festival prep committee lurking anywhere, would there?”

Wato seemed confused at first, then his eyes took on a look of understanding. I guess that he knew what was worrying me. “No, they’re not,” he said. “Fri stopped by earlier, but only to get the professors. I’m the only one that’s here right now, and I’m just holding down the fort.”

I sighed in relief and stepped into the lab properly, enjoying the burst of air conditioning. While it wasn’t too hot outside, the temperature was constantly monitored and put to the optimal temperature to keep as many of the Pokémon that stayed indoors were comfortable. The more I thought about what went into running the lab, the more I thought it seemed like one the nitpicky kind of jobs Fri would like.

“Well I came here to check on Wicker, that’s all,” I said. At the moment, I was barely even a Pokémon trainer anymore. I had placed my entire team under the care of the professors for the moment, and wasn’t even carrying around a single Pokémon with me. All of my supplies were sitting in my bag in the living room back home. As far as it was concerned, I was just a normal teenager at this point. “Is it alright if I go into the fields?”

Wato nodded. “That’s fine; you know you’re always welcome here,” he said smiling. Then his eyes lit up, as though he had remembered something. “Your Naleef—ah, that is, Wicker—is doing well. She really seems to enjoy the trees, so you’ll probably find her over there. Although, I must say, it really is impressive that you went out and captured a legendary Pokémon so shortly after becoming Champion, —! Especially one that’s an unknown type, as well! It’s an amazing accomplishment.”

I blushed, not used to the praise anymore. Once I had come home, it had been a steady phase of compliments from everyone. _Congratulations on becoming the Champion! Way to go! Can I see the legendary Pokémon?_ I had been buried under the words for weeks, and then it had faded out as people accepted the facts and moved on in favor of the festival.

“Ah, it’s not that impressive,” I said, trying to get that look of admiration out of Wato’s eyes. With the way things were going recently, I didn’t feel like I deserved it at all. “It was more like luck, really. I ran around for months on her tail and didn’t come anywhere close to catching anything. The fact that Wicker decided to stay in the pokéball was a miracle in itself.”

Despite my intentions, Wato shook his head. “You shouldn’t say things like that, —. After all, they say that Naleef will only become partners with a trainer that is truly determined. That determination will be met with destiny. The fact that you had to work so hard and never gave up and came to succeed shows that it’s fate.” He smiled. “Besides, not many trainers become Champion, let alone capture a legendary. The fact that you’ve done both only shows just how skilled you are.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

A skilled trainer without a memory or any self-motivation ability, that was something new. I wondered if I would have to tell Wato just what I had become for him to stop looking at me like that. It wasn’t the type of look I deserved. Even simpler, I could just have him talk to Fri. Her words would more than likely make him experience a healthy dose of disillusionment towards me.

“I’m gonna head out back, okay? If Fri stops by, would you not let her know I’m here?” I asked. Wato nodded, although he was clearly confused by my words. Maybe after the festival was over, I would give him an explanation, if he really cared to know.

The fact that there was still this much natural clear land out in the middle of the woods still surprised me. You would have to go over a few hills before you could even see the end of the trees on the other side. Artificially installed biomes for the other Pokémon types were scattered about, but I couldn’t see any of them from here. When I was little, I thought that this was the biggest clear spot in the world. You can only imagine my reaction when I first stepped out of town to start my Pokémon journey.

I kept on the side of the trees, like Wato had said. Other trainers’ Pokémon were all over the lab grounds, playing with each other or just laying around. When one of my Pokémon recognized me, they usually came over and I stopped to play with them a few minutes. By the end of the day, I planned to walk all over the area, just to make sure everyone was doing all right.

I had one place I needed to stop at first, though. Keeping to the trees, I would run into it eventually. I ran my hands over the bark, letting it scrape against my fingers. It didn’t really hurt me much, but it was enough that keeping track of the grooves in the trees left my fingers feeling numb afterwards.

By the time I made it up to the top of the hill I was heading towards, I was more than a bit out of breath. I reached for my pack to get a bottle of water before I remembered that I had left it at home. I should start carrying it around since I always seemed to need a break by the time I got here, but it almost felt cruel to give Fri any sense of hope I wouldn’t go through with.

At the very least I should have grabbed something to drink while I was still inside the lab.

My goal had been a swing firmly attached to one of the solo trees at the top of the hill. Errat, Fri, and I had spent so much time at the lab as kids that the professors had installed it for us to have something else to play on. The hilltop offered a pretty impressive view of the laboratory grounds as it was, but once you started swinging you could see everything.

We had spent so much time here. Errat and I used to see who could jump the farthest off the swing until Fri had joined us and told us we would break our necks if we kept it up. From there, we had found other ways to amuse ourselves, like aerial Pokémon I Spy or setting up picnics with lunch from Errat’s family restaurant. Fri had taken a long time to understand how to swing properly, and Errat and I took turns pushing her up into the sky.

What I wouldn’t give to be that young again, for a number of reasons.

Even now, I couldn’t stop coming back to the place. It had been where the three of us had spent the morning before I headed off on my journey, and where we had held the party to celebrate me becoming the Champion. It was the perfect place to go and think, just losing myself in the act of pushing my legs back and forth until they were sore.

Thinking about it, it probably was an obvious place for me to go. That being said, I was honestly surprised Fri hadn’t thought of it and found me already. Of course, it could have been too obvious, making it stupid to go there in the first place.

I couldn’t tell if that meant she had faith in my intelligence or was just counting me as not stupid enough to go there. Consequently, I couldn’t tell if I should be insulted or not.

Wicker had also seemed to take a liking to the place, which was really good for her. I guess that the place must have smelled like me or something, because I was told she even slept in the tree after running around everywhere else all day. I guess it was a bit cruel to just drop her off here and leave her, but I also didn’t want to just keep her cramped up in her pokéball all day. At least here she had other Pokémon she could play with.

I swung for a few minutes, even though I was still breathing hard. This made me tire out rather quickly, and I simply coasted out the rest of my kinetic energy supply. Once I was at a slow enough speed, Wicker jumped into my lap. I stopped so I could hold onto her properly.

Wicker was a Naleef, a legendary Pokémon. Even so, she was small for a legend, fitting onto my lap easily. Simply described, she looked like a small Deerling made entirely out of wood with leaves sprouting out in bunches where her horns and tail would have been. She could have been a grass type, except her leaves shimmered with color that designated her as a type that even the professors couldn’t yet identify.

I honestly didn’t care. Wicker was powerful, and she was an impressive catch. Somehow, I had known just where to look while I wandered the region, the goal of capturing legendaries in mind. It had been almost too perfect, not getting lost in the woods on the other side of the continent, way to similar the ones at home. I didn’t falter at any of the turns that would have been traps, and found my way into a sparkling part of the woods where she slept.

She regarded me, as if she was trying to figure out if I was worth waking up for. Apparently the answer had been yes. I already had the Master Ball, a gift from the professors, in hand. I was about to throw it before she ran past me, and the chase began.

I ran around an insane amount the next few months. I went through every corner of the region I had already been in, and others I hadn’t. I made new friends, wasted pokéballs on other Pokémon I had yet to capture, and wore out the tread on more than one pair of sneakers. It was exhausting, but in the end I succeeded, and headed back home to rest.

Except it wasn’t really to rest and I had that crazy dream and now I was just one big giant stagnant mess running away from my best friends by planning on a swing when they would really use my help. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Wicker let out a cry—the same pure, sad note as always, like she was reflecting my thoughts. I kept her steady with one arm, holding onto the swing with the other hand, starting to swing. My path was a bit caddywompus due to physics, but Wicker seemed to enjoy it.

“What do you think, Wicker?” I asked. “That wasn’t a dream, right? Or it was and I just keep using it as an excuse to do nothing. I just don’t want to do anything I would have wanted to do before. Oh man, isn’t that supposed to be a sign of depression. Damn, you don’t think I’m depressed, do you?”

Wicker cried out again, and it sounded more like she was scolding me for cussing than trying to cheer me up. She let out a series of notes, which I chose to take as her telling me I wasn’t crazy. As much as I loved Wicker, we had yet to form a definite bond where I could understand exactly what she was telling me based off a few sounds.

“No, no, it’s more like… melancholy? No. A lack of self-motivation? No, I have that skill, I just can’t work myself up to use it right now. Ugh, what’s the word for when you have a crazy dream that you’re certain is reality but you can’t find any proof of it but it nags at you to the point that you can’t do anything else with your life because you’re using said dream/reality as justification without telling anyone that?”

Wicker’s cry was short and succinct. I guessed the Pokémon language was way more diverse than that of humans.

I dug my feet into the ground, stopping the swing short. Sensing my intention, Wicker squirmed out of my grip before I had the chance to let go and landed on the ground. I stood up looking over the lab to figure out where we would go first.

“Come on, Wicker, let’s go see the others.”

* * *

My legs finally told me to rest once we had made it to the water habitat. Two bodies of water were next to each other, one for fresh water and the other for salt water Pokémon. I chose to ditch my shoes and soak my feet in the fresh water side, and Wicker took a drink next to me. I considered asking one of my own Pokémon for a drink once I caught my breath.

Man, sitting around the house and not doing anything had done a number on me. What had happened to the me that could run around the region multiple times in a few months without hardly ever stopping? That me could’ve run a marathon against some serious athletes and done well. This me was seriously lacking in comparison.

Hey, maybe if I exercised properly, Fri would be less on my case. The only problem with that was that she would use my newfound motivation for evil.

“Ah, so this is where you were.”

I froze at the sound of the voice, then relaxed. Wicker, picking up on my discomfort, jumped to the defense, only to end up rubbing against the legs of the person who had shown up seconds later. Professor Maple smiled, laughing as she petted Wicker’s head. In the end, she sat down next to me on the lakeside, and Wicker settled in between us.

“Good afternoon, Professor,” I said. At least I guessed it was afternoon, judging by the sun. Other than that, I had no other way to accurately guess at what the time was. “Please don’t tell me you came out here on a hunch because Fri said she needed me.”

The professor shook her head, looking out onto the lake instead of me. Some of the Pokémon, including a few of my own, noticed her and began to swim over. “I came out here on a hunch,” she said, “and Fri does need you, but the two aren’t really connected. I just wanted to talk about some things with you.”

I couldn’t tell whether or not I should be relaxing. On one hand, she could have meant to talk to me about just about anything not festival related. On the other, she really could be here to guilt trip me about Fri without necessarily coming from the source itself. I focused myself on attending to the petting needs of my Pokémon. “What about?” I asked.

“Oh, just some small talk.” Professor Maple started to play with someone’s Lapras, but I could tell her intentions were also more serious. Her hands slipped over the Pokémon’s skin and shell, almost as if checking its wellbeing at the same time. “Pokémon really are amazing, aren’t they?”

Wicker made a happy cry, taking the statement as a compliment. I chuckled a bit, the tension draining from my shoulders. “Yeah, they really are. I’ve seen so many of them while I was traveling, and I never went without being surprised. There’s just so many species and I haven’t even seen them all yet.”

“Is that why you became a trainer?” the professor asked. I felt myself going to say yes, but that wasn’t exactly true. For the second time that day, I found myself recalling a certain event from my childhood. Noting my expression, Professor Maple laughed. “No? Well then, go on.”

There wasn’t an easy way for me to get out of this conversation the same way I had gotten out of it with Errat. I sighed, relenting. “I wanted to be a trainer ever since I was a kid. When I left town, it was because I had people pushing me, telling me to go for it. While I had almost forgotten, they didn’t forget the reason why I had wanted to be a trainer. There was something important I wanted to do…”

Professor Maple smiled at me. “And did you do it?”

My cheeks heated up in embarrassment. The more I looked at it, the stupider the dream seemed, catching a sacred Pokémon. I shook my head, and the professor’s smile dropped. There I was, letting more people down because of some stupid dream I couldn’t accomplish. That made two important things I wasn’t able to do.

“So why don’t you try again?” the professor asked. I looked up at her. “You’ve already accomplished so many things, —.” She gestured to Wicker, who tipped her head up into the professor’s hand. “I’m sure that if you keep trying you’ll get somewhere. Also, if you were trying harder, then you wouldn’t have to worry so much about Fri worrying about you.”

I went to tell the professor that Fri wasn’t worried about me, just angry, but stopped myself. Fri was a difficult person to read at times, but I was her best friend. It should have occurred to me that I was making her worry herself sick by lying around and doing nothing.

Okay, maybe “worry herself sick” was a bit too much, but the point still stood. I looked down to Wicker, who cooed at me in inspiration. My Pokémon surrounding me seemed to do the same thing, and Professor Maple nodded as she stood up.

“You’ve raised your Pokémon very well, —,” she said. “That’s why I believe in you. I’m sure you probably don’t think what I’ve said is true, and I know you probably won’t be better in an instant. But really, all I’ve said is a little something for you to think about, that’s all.” With those words she waved and left. I reminded myself to wave.

“A little something” wasn’t the choice of words I would have used to describe what she had just said.

* * *

I ended up dreaming. I couldn’t exactly call it a strange dream, since it paled in comparison to The Dream that had started this mess. Everything was dark, but Professor Maple was talking to me, her voice soothing and professional. And in the end, just as I was about to return to consciousness, I was asked a question.

_What is your name?_

“That’s a weird question…” I said as I woke up, but I found myself thinking about it way longer than I should have. I chalked it up to the fact that I had just woken up, but that didn’t seem right.

Only after a few minutes was I able to remember the fact that the name I had been given was Jijri.


	4. File Three: Gender Alignment

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

File Three: Gender Alignment

* * *

“Come on Jijri, time to get your lazy ass up and do something with your life.” Ah, that sort of morning greeting could only come from the likes of Fri. Sure enough as I opened my eyes I saw the girl in question glaring down on me, a determined glint in her eyes. I tried to roll over to face the back end of the couch, a reminder that I was still sleeping on the couch in my own goddamn house without being forced to by anyone. Where was the justice in the world? Was I really actually so much of a masochist that I had to enact such weird punishments on myself like this?

More importantly, why had I been such a dumbass to try and roll away from Fri when I knew what was going to come next? Seconds later Fri’s hand was on my exposed shoulder. Still just waking up, I was unable to resist as she rolled me over with such force that I toppled off the couch and landed face first into my own carpet. The sensation reminded me that I should probably vacuum soon since I had been neglecting the duty for a few weeks.

I tried to sit up, the words rolling off my tongue with ease. “I’m sorry Fri but I really need to clean the house toda—”

I was ungracefully cut off as Fri planted her foot in my face. I further ungracefully fell back onto the floor, Fri’s foot still on top of me. planted her foot in my face. I further ungracefully fell back onto the floor, Fri'

e next? Seconds lI had a sudden bout of thankfulness as I realized that she had at least remembered to take her shoes off at the front door.

That feeling of gratefulness disappeared with the breath from my lungs as the girl in question sat down firmly on my stomach. “Just shut up and go die already would you?!” Fri shouted, crossing her arms. “I can’t take any more of your crap so don’t even bother! I’ve decided that if you’re just gonna sit around all day and run off to play with your Pokémon when the rest of us are hard at work, I’ve just gotta force you into it!”

It was at this point that I knew for certain if I didn’t say anything then I was in a world of trouble. I couldn’t just sit back (or lie back, as it was) and take this, but I couldn’t exactly sit up either. This just meant that my only chance for survival was a vocal attack.

“Hold on a minute, just who in the world said that I would agree to something like—”

“No objections!”

As expected, Fri cut me off with completely no traces of mercy. She wasn’t giving up any ground to me, and probably was intending to make it so that I didn’t have a single item left in my possession at the end of the day, at least in the metaphorical sense. I realized that it would be way better on my life expectancy if I just gave it up and went along with the reality Fri was forcing on me against me will. For the first time in my life, I actually listened to that piece of logic in my brain and tried to prepare myself for what I was about to experience.

“Yeah, yeah, I got ya, now let me get dressed before you start dragging me everywhere,” I said, entirely resigned. Fri looked at me like she was surprised I had submitted so easily—or submitted at all even?—and even a little bit suspicious that maybe I was going to try and bolt the second she got up. All things considered, that was actually a good strategy, but I so couldn’t run the marathon it would require to escape Fri at this hour.

Really, I just wanted some clothes. Fri and I may have been childhood friends, but I didn’t know how comfortable I was with another person on top of me while I was just in a t-shirt and my underwear. Wasn’t this some sort of utterly embarrassing situation for someone who had become the Champion? It only took a few moves and I was completely helpless.

I didn’t even have any of my Pokémon to call on if things got really bad. Man, I was pathetic. No wonder I had just given up so easily.

Fri frowned as she stared down at me. Just like always, she gave the impression that she was staring right through me, which I guess wasn’t too hard with me just sitting there with barely any clothes on. With that in mind, she probably even knew exactly what was wrong with me but didn’t want to say it to my face.

Damn, what a scary woman.

Her weight shifted, and I was prepared to take another blow to the face. Fri only stood up, no bodily harm included, and even offered a hand for me to get up with. I hesitated.

“Don’t just stare at it, get up!” she said, unsatisfied with my response in every way possible. I grabbed onto her hand and was astounded by how soft it was. For how hard she worked, I had almost expected for there to be callouses everywhere. “Come on and get some clothes on will you before I drag you out into the middle of town like this, you dork.”

I took the time necessary to balance myself before heading upstairs. I even threw in a “Yes, ma’am” for brownie points, though it probably wasn’t worth a single thing at all in my favor. I was all ready to go, but I stopped at the door.

“Oh, stop being such a wimp,” I muttered.

I walked into my room, and remembered exactly why I had been avoiding coming up here. There wasn’t much decoration aside from some posters, and the only furniture was a bed and a table with a PC on it. It was so empty, like it was a slate waiting to be written on. The fact that this boring room was mine was depressing enough, but with all the time I had been gone it just reminded me of how completely different of a person I had been.

I shut the door behind me and locked it, giving myself at least some minimal privacy for a short amount of time. The thought of holing up in here for the rest of the day crossed my mind, but in the end I dismissed it. Trying something like that was a guaranteed way to have Fri break my door down, and the same applied if I tried for an escape out the window. Everything was stacked against me, so why even bother? Next time I wouldn’t get something as simple as a few feet to the face if I kept avoiding her like this.

I got dressed without much hassle, just picking out clothes that would keep me cool and be suited for hard work, which was almost everything in my wardrobe. It was surprising that the things I had once picked out so carefully for my Pokémon journey were now going to be worn as Fri put me through the ringer. That at least was certain.

Leaving the room the poster on the back of my door caught my eye. It was an old one, back from my childhood, and was terribly sun-bleached from years of use. It featured the old Elite Four and its champion, and even though the members had been switched out long before my own anointment as Champion, I had still kept it around. I opened and closed the door without giving it a second glance.

I really wished that I could go and tell the younger me to grow up already. The only problem with that was they would be stuck in my shoes, and that was something I didn’t want to wish on any other person.

“Geeze, could you be any slower?” Fri criticized before I even had the chance to make it back down the stairs. She walked over to where I was with a purpose, grabbing onto my arm and nearly causing me to trip down the remaining steps. “I’m already taking time out of my schedule for you, so you better be considerate. I’m going to work you to the _bone_ for all the time you’ve made me lose, you got it?”

I was pulled out of my house without even giving me a chance to lock my door. Not that anyone else ever came out to my house anyway, but it was still a habit I had picked up a few years ago. “Yeah, yeah, I got it,” I said. Considering what Errat had told me, Fri really needed and deserved this from me, so I might as well go along. “So what exactly is it that I’m going to be doing for you, Miss Committee Member?”

“Don’t you use that sarcastic tone on me,” Fri snapped. I caught a glimpse of her face, though, and could tell that she was smiling. Whether it was because of the fact that she now had the title, I had used it, or I had even known that it existed, I don’t know. It didn’t matter, either, because it was one step closer to the smile I wanted from her. “I’m going to need you to run messages and errands for people who are on the Ceremony committee so we can get everything put together with the final touches. We only have a few days and everything needs to be ready before the festival starts so we can avoid any mishaps!”

I chuckled a little. Errat had been right when he said that Fri was trying her best to make the ceremony amazing. I hadn’t expected any less anyway, since that was what she did. I had just had to hope that she wasn’t working herself too hard to the point that she couldn’t even relax a little. If anyone deserved to have fun with the festival, it was her just because of all the effort she had put into it. The only problem was that she would still be panicking after the ceremony was over, even if her job was done. I made a mental note to check in with Fuji to see that her older sister was still sleeping at night.

“Then I shall be a humble servant for the cause,” I said, making enough effort to make sure I sounded as serious as possible as a person could while saying a sentence like that. “Your wish is my command, and I will do everything in my power to fulfill them.”

I expected some sort of irritated retort to my exaggerated offer, but Fri only smirked. My blood instantly went cold, causing me to shiver as I walked. “Oh, you bet you will, Jijri,” she said. “Everything I say, you are going to do. I even have your word for it, so you’re stuck with me.”

I grimaced, trying to find something else to focus on. If I didn’t think about it, working for Fri didn’t sound bad at all. If I stopped considering the fact that I would be worked to the point of exhaustion, everything would be fine. The key to surviving today would just be ignoring absolutely everything and pushing on without complaints. If I was lucky I could survive and make it at least to Errat’s celebratory dinner. I could die happy then.

“Hey, we’re going the wrong way,” I said, almost without thinking about it. At the pace we had been going, we should have made it into festival territory by now. Instead we were still making our way through those woods, past familiar trees and roads. As much as I hated to admit it, the newly erected sign posts made it easier to tell where we were headed, and I almost ran away if Fri hadn’t been still holding onto my arm. “Hold it! What are we even going to your house for?!”

Fri shook her head, clicking her tongue. “Don’t raise your voice at me like that. We need to pick up some important supplies before we start working.” She smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes that I hadn’t seen in years. “You did say you’d follow every order of mine. This is the first one.”

* * *

“Okay, so what you’re telling me is that you need more space because from the time you sent us the information request forms, you had an increase of members that went beyond your expectations,” I said, doing my best to be professional and not irritated. Fri had been pissed off when she sent me off to figure out the situation, but had still been able to turn around and smile at one of the workers that was supervising the banner and costume division of the shrine ceremony seconds later. I was trying to imitate her now, and seriously failing. “You do realize that any changes to your needs should have been sent to us beforehand, right? The festival starts in a few days and any construction changes are unreasonable at this point.”

The head of one of the musical acts stood in front of me, looking extremely apologetic and desperate at the same time. “I’m terribly sorry,” he said, wringing his hands together. “We get called out to performances across the region, so remembering exactly who we should inform about changes is a difficult process. I shall speak to the manager about it.” _Damn right he should speak to his manager_. “All we really need is some extra space between the lots we’re placed between, some chairs, and we’ll deal with the awning that we’ve been given, no rebuilding necessary. Is that possible?”

I sighed, already feeling a headache coming on. If Fri got wind of this, she would either destroy me for indulging the man, or destroy me for not trying hard enough to give him what he needed, I wasn’t sure which. The fact that this wasn’t even properly related to the Shrine Ceremony kind of irked me since she was taking on too much again, but I had let it slide since it was better than getting involved in any manual labor. I could handle it from a physical standpoint, but being put on rush delivery to finish up any stands that still needed to be properly constructed wasn’t really my idea of a good time. I would take this in favor any day.

“It should be, but we make no guarantees.” I gave in, figuring that this was the safest thing I could say without promising anything. Their situation could get worse or get better, but in the end they couldn’t complain. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, setting up the PDA system to take notes. “Alright, sir, can you tell me as close to exact estimates as you can manage for the space, chairs, and anything else you’ll need? That includes extra refreshments or anything like that.”

The man rattled off some numbers to me, which I took down. Fri had only told me to go and ask what the problem was, mostly because she had been engaged in practicing her role for the ceremony at the same time. If getting all the details I could think of would keep me from running back to the same people over and over again like some damn Patrat; that was perfect. The added benefit of giving Fri one less thing to think about was also present, although it could probably end up in me having to do something else just because she had the extra brain space to think about it.

I couldn’t tell if I was just overly pessimistic or if what I had just come up with was a likely scenario.

“Alright, thank you for your time. Someone should be back later today or tomorrow to let you know how things are going,” I said, hoping that the person in question wouldn’t be me. “Have a nice day and please enjoy your time here. Thank you for participating in the festival.” The last few lines came out almost monotone, but I had said them plenty of times today that I felt like a Nurse Joy or a Pokémart employee who had to deliver the same lines over and over again. The man didn’t seem to mind, though, giving me a friendly farewell as I headed back to report to Fri, slipping my phone back into my pocket.

Have a nice day, thank you very much.

As I walked past the booths that were already set up, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the progress that had been made on them since yesterday. Even more impressive were the changes that had been made since this morning. What had once been piles of wood were now fully erected stands, new splashes of paint were everywhere, and some people were already loading in game and other supplies for their booths. New structures appeared every time I walked on a road, and it was getting a little disconcerting that no place I had been before was the same as it had been an hour ago.

Fri seemed to know everything, though, from what went were, who was working on what, and just how many nails had been used to put each individual structure together. I was getting more than a bit unnerved by this as well, wondering just how many people she had to constantly update her on what was going on, or if she had somehow developed psychic abilities in the time I was gone.

I set off towards the shrine, which rested near the entrance of town. It was where I had last seen Fri, but there was no guarantee that she would still be there. At least someone there could tell me where she had gone if she wasn’t, and I could play festival stand and booth tag until I found her. Calling her would have been the logical solution, but her phone was already so busy with people asking her about big projects and decisions that I didn’t want to be the one that would interrupt something important and further receive her wrath.

“Hey, there, Jijri, try and look alive,” a voice behind me commented. Turning, I saw Errat, grinning to the point that he should have just laughed and gotten it over with. His paint cans and splatters were missing, so I assumed that part of his job was over. In their place were a number of grease and oil stains on his clothes, probably from making test runs of all his dishes or moving the cooking appliances in. “So, do I get to know just what the hell those are on that head of yours?”

In order to confirm my place as part of the festival committee, Fri had dragged me to her house to give me one of the vests that confirmed me as one of her grunts. While it ensured that people would believe me when I said that I was there to deliver a message or help out or whatever, it also ended in a number of people bothering me with concerns while I was taking care of other duties, which had been a real pain in the ass so far. I endured it, since it was part of what I owed Fri, but that didn’t mean I was supposed to like it.

I also didn’t like the Buneary ears she had strapped onto my head, saying she would destroy me if I took them off. She said they were a symbol of the fact that I was working for her, even though no one else was wearing anything of the sort. In reality they were revenge for the attitude I had been giving her, a symbol that I was officially her servant for the day. My own promise to her and the desire for my wellbeing had me honor bound to keep them on, and most people didn’t comment on them.

They were hyper realistic, with triggers that could be used to adjust if the ears were pulled in or not. Hopefully Errat wasn’t in the mood to try and play with them, figuring the trick out. I wasn’t going to be living this down for the rest of my life anyway, no need to make it worse. I had wondered if Fri had these from some costume Fuji had worn once, even though I had no such memory, or if she had specifically ordered these for the sake of embarrassing me. I really didn’t want to know the answer.

That was the long explanation for the question I had been asked, but I kept that to myself. Instead I gave Errat the blow-off response of “no way,” hopefully keeping what small grain of my pride I had left intact. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” I continued, “I need to go and meet up with Fri so we can deal with this spacing problem.”

“Oh, you’re headed that way?” Errat said, his face breaking into a grin. Any hopes I had of being alone and not being teased for a while were utterly destroyed, and his next words turned the remaining pieces into dust. “I was going there myself to meet up with the guys delivering supplies to make sure they got in okay. We can walk together.” We fell into step beside each other, my pace matching his out of habit. I almost looked over my shoulder to make sure Fri was following us before I remembered that we weren’t little kids anymore. “So, Fri got to you, did she?”

“Yup,” I responded. Errat’s grin only grew wider.

“How’d she manage to do that?”

“She broke into my house, attacked me in my sleep, then physically abused me as she informed me that I didn’t have a choice in the matter and was coming with her immediately. The rest is kind of obvious.” I gestured to the ears, giving him a vague answer that he could interpret on his own. I wasn’t in the mood to explain it anyway.

As expected, Errat only laughed at my misfortune, and laughed some more. He was lucky enough to be so busy and still be able to enjoy himself like that, which I guessed stemmed from our differing levels of willingly going into the situation, alongside reluctance.

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Errat confirmed, as if I needed that to make my story be true. “For the most part anyway. Don’t even pretend that you bother to lock your door at night or move the key from where Fri already knows where it is. I’d bet anything it’s still in that ceramic Politoad that’s in the middle of the garden.”

I nodded in confirmation, not even bothering to deny his accusation about locking the door. It was all true anyway, since I lacked the motivation to prevent thieves from entering my home at night. Not that we had many robberies in a town our size, but the possibility was still there. Increasing my security was the fact that my home was technically outside the town borders, buried within trees and not even marked on any map. I slept in the living room anyway.

“So, you get all the construction done over that your place?” I asked. It was a triple-pronged strategy of curiosity, controlling the conversation, and having something to tell Fri whenever I saw her. It was almost a flawless strategy, the margin of error easily erased by Errat’s enthusiasm.

As expected, his eyes lit up, a tired but accomplished smile on his face. “You bet ya. The stand’s built, painted, and furnished. All we need are the supplies to cook with, and any extra stock at the end can go to the restaurant. I basically gave everyone the go ahead to help others out so that everyone else can finish their preparations.”

The Noda family was big in number, including the relatives that flocked in from other families to help get the stand prepared in time for the festival. It was no wonder that the stand had gone up the quickest out of all of them, given that you were raised to be given a role once summer rolled around. With the entire family set loose, everyone else would be ready to go before the three days were up, and the festival would be a booming success as always, especially with Fri at the helm.

I was given the sudden reminder of my own goal, alongside the something important, linked by my lack of accomplishment in either. I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind where they would surely simmer, and made myself smile.

“Fri will be glad to hear that. More hands to go around,” I said.

My heart was nowhere in it, but I hoped Errat wouldn’t notice.

* * *

We made it to the Shrine with no troubles, Errat doing most of the talking along the way. I ended up relaxing in the end, my smile becoming less faked with every lame joke and stories about younger siblings of Errat’s. It was things like that that made me wish I wasn’t an only child, then realized Errat had enough siblings for all three of us, disregarding Fuji, and then some. If I ever wanted the experience, all I would have to do was go to the Noda household, and my wish would be granted, simple as that.

While Errat had wanted to talk to Fri, he was called off by someone else, saying that his shipment was already here and waiting for him. I sent him off on his duties, wondering if he had actually shown up late or not as he ran off with an enthusiastic farewell. I considered helping him in double-checking that his supplies had made it in alright, but quickly remembered that there were already people assigned to said job. And that I had my own job to do before I could think about any promotions anyway.

Fri was in the middle of talking to somebody else when I arrived, carrying on a conversation on her cell phone at the same time. I wondered if she ever slipped up, but her brain seemed to carry the two separate conversations just fine, so I stopped worrying about her. I redirected the emotion to myself, going over the notes I had taken earlier so as to give an efficient enough report whenever it was my turn.

Eventually, Fri waved my vested companion off on some job or another, and hung up the phone soon after. I took the opportunity before anyone else could strike, not wanting to be accused of being late. Fri just pulled up her clipboard at my presence, trying to find some paper or another. I knew for a fact that it was organized properly, but the fact that she could fit the sheer volume of papers onto the clipboard that she could was still amazing to me. “So, what did he say?” she asked.

“Ah, they’re willing to compromise if necessary, but the best situation for them is to be given more space,” I said. Reading off my notes, I listed the items in the request, Fri nodding as I did so. She ran a finger over some chart or another, muttering to herself. “I told them there were no guarantees, but we should at least be able to supply them with enough chairs, right? I can’t imagine we don’t have extras stocked up somewhere.”

“This will work out fine,” Fri said, not providing an answer to my question. A few pens were produced from her pockets, all but stuck in her mouth by their cap ends. She scribbled out on her paper for a bit, and when she was done, I could see adjustments to a stall diagram made in a variety of colors as she returned her pens to their homes. “The stands to the right are just a few promotional stands, so they haven’t been started to be built until today. If we let everyone know what’s going on, the construction groups can make adjustments to move their booths over, providing enough space. Even the awning can be expanded, so everything works out.” She smiled, obviously proud of her efforts. I filled in the blanks.

“So you need me to run over there and let these guys know the plan?”

“Not just that,” Fri said, still writing on her board. I could have puked. When she was done, she turned around, gesturing to someone I couldn’t see in the crowd of committee members still doing preparation work. “Hey, we finally got someone to help you carry that load over, Fuji, so you can head out soon!”

Almost like she had been summoned, the younger of the two siblings appeared before us, minus the yukata she had been in yesterday. I hoped she was just saving it for the festival and the piece of clothing wasn’t sitting around, beyond repair somewhere. Knowing this wasn’t a good conversation path to follow in Fri’s presence, I kept it to myself. Making a note to ask later, I was left showing off the action level of a Slugma that was still trying to process the order its trainer had given it.

“Yooo, Jiiirjrii, thanks for the heeelp,” Fuji greeted, smiling up at me. Even without the yukata and hair styling, she was still a miniature version of her sister. I was reminded of the time period when Errat and I had our growth spurts, finally gaining height on Fri and her needing to look up to us. The only thing ruining the memory was the present day woman that was about my height and standing next to me.

“Wait, what exactly am I supposed to be carrying again?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t been given this particular part of highly relevant information. While I understood that Fuji was young and couldn’t be reasonably expected to carry things over a certain weight limit, I wasn’t exactly enthused to be hauling around anything she couldn’t handle.

“Oh, it’s just some costuming for one of the performance groups that accidentally got delivered to us instead,” Fri said. She pointed over to where Fuji had been sitting, leaving me to size up my prey. “It’s pretty light; it’s just too big for Fuji to carry all by herself. We’ve been trying to find someone to send with her for a while, but no one has any free time over her to head that way. And so we bestow this duty to you!”

I headed over to the box, able to pick it up with unnerving ease. It was almost too easy of a job, but I guessed that I would have to live with the consequences if it turned out to be a trap. I sighed, once again resigning myself. “I got ya, I got ya. Oh, that’s right.” I blinked, feeling stupid for not bringing up something so important already. “Errat said his family finished up early, so they should be able to help out with this new construction project you’ve got going on. He’s picking up supplies now, so you should be able to intercept him without going too far.”

Fri smiled, giving me the look she gives Fuji when the younger sister has done a good job. Before I could even bask in that for a little bit, she was already scribbling out notes and muttering plans to herself. “An excellent discovery, Jijri! There may be hope for you, yet!” While it was technically an insult, I decided to take the compliment end and run with it. “Ah, but this doesn’t get you off for all your slacking! Now get going! Fuji, you better keep — in shape, you understand me?”

Fuji saluted at her sister’s order, tucking her own paper cargo underneath her other arm. “Yes, ma’am!” she called before running back towards town. “Come on, Jijri, let’s gooo! You don’t wanna be late and mess up Nee-san’s plans, do yaaa?”

“Absolutely not,” I muttered, setting off after Fuji without hesitation. It was bad enough that the younger of the sisters was getting on my case about work, didn’t need to give the older one an excuse to join in on the event as well. It was hard keeping up with the box in my hands, not to mention Fuji was much more agile than I was, letting her weave between people I just barely avoided bumping into.

She didn’t slow down until we made it a ways away from the shrine, stopping in the middle of the road for me to catch up. Once I got to her side I stopped, leaning over and trying to catch my breath. It would have been some sick prank or something for her to go running off before I even had time to recover, but that thankfully wasn’t the case. She only laughed, which was a significantly less forceful blow to my pride than the other option.

“Hehe, you’re reeeaaally slooow, Jijriii.” She even tried to cover up her laughter with her hand, which made me feel better. I couldn’t tell if it was because Fuji was trying to be polite or because it was so damn cute, but I guess it really didn’t matter. Either way, I wasn’t about to let her get away with going and saying something like that.

“Oi, you try and keep up with a kid like you,” I countered. “Not to mention I’m carrying this giant box, too. It’s so wide that it’s giving me wind resistance when I run, even though it’s not that windy. That’s how much of a burden it is, you know. If I were free of it, I could show you the speed that let me travel around the nation at breakneck velocity!” I was flubbing my way through science, but Fuji probably wouldn’t notice anyway. She had a few more years before she started learning things like that and could start to pick her way through my logic.

“Hmmm… Nee-chan says it’s just because you’re lazy, though. If you hadn’t been just sitting around the house this whole time, you would have been able to keep up with me, right?” Well, she had me there. As I had learned from dealing with Fri, these moments were the best to keep your mouth shut. “Although, you know, Jijri, Nee-chan’s actually really happy you decided to help her out today…”

Was that the case? Even if I felt a little guilty of getting this information without it coming from the source, it was what I had to do, though. There was no way that Fri would ever tell me herself, so I would have to get creative about it. After all, I needed to keep my ego up somehow, if I ever wanted to make a proper recovery from the situation my own stupidity had gotten me in.

“Nah, that can’t be right,” I said, standing up straight. “Fri’s completely fed up with me right about now. I wouldn’t be surprised if having to deal with me all day hasn’t just ended up annoying her more. I’m not any good at doing this sort of thing anyway.” Hey, just because I was fishing for compliments didn’t mean I had to be obvious about it.

Sure enough, Fuji took the bait, looking up at me with wide eyes and a worried expression. I really hoped my negativity wasn’t going to make her cry or anything. “No, no, that’s not true at all!” she said, tugging on my shirt front. “Nee-chan’s just mad because she misses you! The entire time you were out traveling she kept talking about how she just wished you’d come home for a bit, just to visit! She worked really hard to get on the festival committee so she could do something really important for when you came home!”

I hadn’t been expecting this heartfelt of a response, so it caught me off guard. Hadn’t Errat said something along the lines of that Fri had insisted on not even calling me to let me know about the restaurant situation? I almost suspected the validity of Fuji’s statement until I remembered that she couldn’t lie for the life of her. Which meant that Fri had been waiting, trying herself to not call me when she really wanted to.

Was Fri making Errat and Fuji tell me these things just to make me feel bad? Was that really what was going on here? I guessed I deserved it, but still! Couldn’t she have just told me how she felt on her own? Was that really so hard for her?

With a flash of insight, I realized the answer to that question was yes. If we were all trying hard to support each other, then Fri would have been the most stubborn and kept these things to herself, just so I wouldn’t feel bad and get distracted. As such, Fuji and Errat were telling me these things out of their own free will, more than likely without Fri ever having knowledge that her feelings were being communicated to me by others.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Fuji wasn’t done yet, either.

“And now that you’re home she’s just worried that you’re just going to sit around and never do anything else! She says you’re supposed to be the Champion but you’re not taking the job so you could hunt for legendary Pokémon and fulfill your dream! She knows you already caught one, but it’s not the one you wanted! That’s why she wants you to do work, so you’ll remember what it is you really want to do! Nee-chan says that even though it’s something impossible, if anyone can do it, it’s you Jijri! So please don’t hold it against Nee-chan whenever she starts to push you around because she really does care about you!”

I was left to wonder just how much Fri talked about me if Fuji could understand her sister’s feelings that well at such a young age. It was also a surprising fact that she even talked about things like that around Fuji, although maybe it was because Fri didn’t have anyone else to talk to. Other than Fuji, Errat was too busy and I was being lazy, not to mention the source of her problems. The fact that at some point she had let my dream slip into Fuji’s hands also gave me a terrible sense of foreboding.

At this rate, Errat may just get my humiliation funneled down to the younger generation without even having to do anything himself. He’d be so proud.

“So that’s how it is,” I finally said out loud. Fuji was still staring up at me, eyes begging for me to believe her. “Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And you don’t have to worry about me disliking Fri or anything. I was more worried that she disliked me because of all the trouble I’ve given her.”

“But that’s not true!” Fuji protested again.

“I know, I know. You’ve made me understand that.” Fuji seemed elated by the news, her smile becoming its usual beam of sunshine and rainbows at me. I decided that was enough highly emotional displays in public and that we needed to get back to the matter at hand. “Thank you for telling me that, Fuji-chan. Now let’s get our work done for Fri, alright?”

“Right!”

I was left to pick up the box and scramble after Fuji as she rushed down the street at full speed ahead, just like her sister used to do so many years ago that I had forgotten the number.

* * *

Being led by Fuji into the festival, I gave my message to the band director about Fri’s compromise, Fuji handing out the papers that had instructions on it from the mastermind herself. Already a few of Errat’s siblings were gathering, ready to help construct whatever other structures were left. As soon as we were done there, Fuji instantly dragged me off to where our second stop was, not even pausing for a break. She seemed to have been riled up by her own speech, which I guessed was good for her self-motivation skills, but what did confirming that Fri and I didn’t hate each other have to do with her work ethic? I decided to leave that question unanswered as to prevent a second incident, particularly since we were in actual earshot of people this time.

To my surprise, Wato ended up being the recipient of the box of costumes, the lab assistant smiling at me as I handed to him. Fuji pulled out Fri’s memo soon after, completing her delivery work for now. Wato handed off both items to a girl that seemed more interested in them than he was, and told Fuji that they had some popsicles in a cooler and she was free to have one. This naturally caught the young girl’s interest, and she disappeared soon after. I figured she’d return whenever it was time to head back and allowed myself to relax.

“So what are you doing out here?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. I was looking around the area more so than him, just taking it all in. None of the stands looked like it had anything to do with the lab, and the professors usually just put up a few fliers and announcements to let people know it was open. My curiosity was warranted.

“Well, we got this new intern in a while back, so she’s working the desk today,” Wato said, taking a drink from a bottle of water. I felt envious for _still_ not thinking to grab my pack, and stupid because I knew I was going to be run around like crazy today. In this heat, I would have done anything to at least have my Pokémon there to cool me off. “Since I’m going to be helping the professors out most of the festival, I decided to look around for a bit while I still could. Figures that my cousin would recruit me to help out with her booth…”

Sure enough, Wato had the tell-tale signs of being part of festival prep: a forming sunburn/tan and paint splatters everywhere on his clothes and body. While I guessed he wasn’t the neatest painter, the banner he had been working on seemed clean enough, and some of the detail was really impressive. I still couldn’t tell what it was for, because Wato was still working on the background, but I assumed it would be distinctive enough during the festival and made a mental note to check it out if I ever wondered outside during that time period.

Of course, that was the norm at this point. All the stands were getting some form of work done on them, whether they were being newly constructed or decorated to the owner’s specifications. Orders were being shouted out, blueprints were being checked, and, unless they were resting, everyone was working in some way or another.

Everyone except for me, that is. That spoke plain enough.

“So what’s that stand supposed to be for?” I asked, pointing across the alley. Wato’s gaze followed my instruction, ending in our focuses meeting on the one stall that wasn’t being worked on. It had been constructed with care, but other than that, it was blank, just a frame standing between two other bursts of color. Wato let out a sound of recognition and adjusted his glasses in a way that let me know he was proud of what knowledge he had.

“That’s for a friend of the professors’,” he said, immediately piquing my interest. “They’re not supposed to arrive until later, so they sent a request that their stall be built ahead of time and they’d put the decorations in. I really don’t know what they’re specifically doing, but if they’re a friend of the professors’ then it has to be something good!” Wato leaned next to me, his mouth next to my ear and voice in a conspiring whisper. “There’s a rumor going around that they’re supposed to be someone who can talk to Pokémon! I haven’t had a chance to ask about it, but wouldn’t that just be amazing?”

“Ah.” Amazing indeed. I had heard stories that people like that existed, but never had the chance to see one with my own eyes. Then again, even if people like that existed, there was always the chance they were making things up since there was no one else to contradict them. Of course, I didn’t say that out loud, since Wato may just shove his water bottle down my throat if I did. Besides, I had my own bit of childish belief that I still wanted to maintain. No sense in ruining it myself.

Wato seemed to prevent me from saying such a thing on his own, although it was probably unknowingly. I gave him a curious glance as he began to form a panicking expression, hands up in defense. “Oh, but don’t tell anyone I said that, Jijri! I’m not supposed to gossip and if the professors find out…”

It seemed he was genuinely worried, although I doubted either of the professors would care if he was just telling someone else something he heard, especially since he even said that he didn’t know if it was true, and extra especially since the person he was talking to was me. It wasn’t even like he was lying or anything. But he had such a pathetic expression on his face that I just had to throw him a bone.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” I said in possibly the most unconvincing tone I could muster. Wato seemed to take it and run anyways, looking genuinely relieved that I had given him such assurance. I had to think for a few seconds, remembering that he was actually a few years older than me. Either he was overly naïve, or I was just bitter.

Probably both or some other happy medium.

As if to prove my train of thought, the lab assistant clapped his hands together in front of him, like he was making the prayer to the Shrine several days too early, and to the wrong damn shrine at that. “Thank you so much, Jijri,” Wato said, sincerity dripping off of every word. Even though I had won the title of Champion, I was in no way used to being praised so vehemently. Fortunately, I was saved from having to respond in that awkward situation by the ringing of my phone.

“Ah, I gotta take this,” I said, my intentions sounding suspicious even to myself. A quick look at the caller ID assured me that I really _did_ need to take the call, seeing as Fri was the one doing the calling. I stepped a bit away from the hubbub of the festival preparations and covered the ear that wasn’t using the phone before answering. “Jijri speaking.”

“And this is Fri speaking, when did you become so professional?” the woman in question asked. I couldn’t tell if she was annoyed or impressed with me and decided it was best not to ask questions I probably didn’t want to hear the answer to. “That being put aside, how are you and Fuji faring over there? Everything get taken care of okay?”

“Yeah, Fuji got offered popsicles, so we’re making a quick pit stop before heading back,” I reported. I chose to leave out the part where I _hadn’t_ been offered a popsicle, because that was way too immature, even by my standards. I was eighteen and the Champion for crying out loud, I shouldn’t be making a big deal when I could stop by the local Pokémart and grab some for my own enjoyment. It would put something in the refrigerator anyway. “Do you need us to start heading back for something?”

Fri muttered a few things to herself that I couldn’t hear through the phone. I didn’t interrupt her train of thought, finding a bench to sit down on. “No, it’s fine, Fuji can come back whenever she wants.” I raised an eyebrow even though the gesture couldn’t be seen. If that was the case for Fuji-chan, then what about me? “Okay, you’ve worked hard today so I expect you to follow this order all the way through to the end, is that clear?”

I waited in suspense before I realized she was waiting for an answer. Somehow, I managed to breathe, “Crystal.”

Fri took a deep breath, and I closed my eyes in preparation for the gargantuan order I surely was going to receive. “You don’t have to come and help out for the next few days if you don’t want to. It’s your decision, Jijri, and I won’t blame you if you don’t. But if you don’t show up every goddamn day of the festival I’ll give you a worse punishment then wearing those ears around everywhere, you got me?!”

Funny how I had forgotten about the things. It was a wonder Wato didn’t say anything. Then again, I wasn’t saying much at the moment either, rendered speechless by the order I had just been given. It was surely too good to be true, right? This was just another cruel joke to get back at me, and I would be woken up in the same violent fashion as this morning, right? Pointing such a thing out would only end in a worse fate, though, so I opened my mouth to say something nonsensical before I realized the line had already gone dead.

“Man, I don’t get a choice in what to do with my own life anymore, do I?” I muttered to myself, running a hand through my hair.

I stood up and gave Fuji the good news. It was only natural that she insisted on following me into the Pokémart to bequeath the girl with a pair of popsicles for her and her sister before we parted ways, the Buneary ears gifted as an added bonus. I wondered around with a melting box of dessert before ending up at the lab again. The box was empty and discarded by the time I returned home.

* * *

So, for whatever reason, my subconscious gave me another dream involving a lecture from the professors, except this time it was Professor Spruce instead of Professor Maple. It was like even my brain wanted to punish me for sitting around. Everything was something I had heard before, months ago, so I kind of just blocked it out until it kept repeating the same thing over and over again, insisting that I pay attention to it. Whenever I finally decided to listen, I realized the words the professor’s voice was trying so hard to get me to listen to made up a question.

_Are you a boy or a girl?_

It was the unusual part, the one part of my dream that wasn’t just repeated words. The only problem was that they rang some sort of bell, like I _had_ been asked the question before, which was really ridiculous. It wasn’t like I was ambiguous or anything, which made the whole scenario even more ridiculous. As if the professors that had been around all the kids in town since their childhood would need to ask that at all.

It just wouldn’t stop, though. I had the same question thrown at me over and over. The really disturbing part was that Professor Spruce’s voice never got angry, tired, or bored with asking the same question over and over again. It was like listening to a call-in recording on a phone service that needed you to answer before it could advance, and I couldn’t hang up either. I was just kind of floating in an off-white space, without a body, and wasn’t able to do anything but listen to the question.

And maybe answer it. I tried speaking, asking what kind of dream this was, but nothing came out. I could let out a heavy sigh though, the sound echoing around the space I somehow occupied without being there at all.

“Honestly, shouldn’t you know I’m a boy by now, come on,” I said.

I said.

I could speak, though the one sentence was all I got to say. I know the human brain doesn’t exactly remember everything we dream, but I would have liked to see where that one had gone. As much as I racked my subconscious for the next two days, I couldn’t remember a damn thing.


	5. File Four: Momentum Building

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

File Four: Momentum Building

* * *

So with Fri’s generous blessing, I proceeded to waste it equally generously for two days straight. I did the same things—or lack of things, to be more accurate—whilst the rest of the town worked on the festival preparations. I was able to plow through my guilt with the fact that I had already contributed and Fri had said that it was okay. I didn’t even find out whatever it was that was so important for me to do, no matter how many times I visited Wicker and followed her around the laboratory grounds.

Frankly, I was stunned by my own selfishness.

And somehow, on the morning of the festival, I managed to push myself off the couch and into the outside world.

* * *

As expected, the opening ceremony went off without a hitch. I ended up watching from a back corner of the crowd, then split off as they dispersed. There wouldn’t be anything too fascinating in terms of entertainment for a few hours, but all the stands that had miraculously spawned into existence over the past few days were more than willing to accommodate. I bought a to-go noodle dish for breakfast off of one of Errat’s younger siblings to keep myself safe from advertising attempts and carried on.

The food alleys would be a death trap. So would any of the goods vendors. It was probably a good thing I had resisted the urge to bring Wicker along with me. For a small town festival, we sure managed to be aggressive with our wares. It was no wonder that Errat, I, and even Fri had always returned home without any pocket money when we were kids.

Somewhat safer were the game and entertainment alleys. Sure, game dealers could call out to you all they wanted, but they usually didn’t have people to drag you to their stands for business. Usually. I managed to stick behind tourists and used them as bait to make my way through the crowds safely. Things were pretty hectic if I was suddenly wishing I was three feet tall again to make getting where I wanted to go easier.

All the stands were fantastically decorated, though. I often had to remind myself to not stop moving for fear of making myself easy prey. Of course, I had no doubt that the amount of work put into the displays was for the sake of drawing people’s attention. The trade-off was that it was almost on the level of overstimulation, but maybe I had lost my sensitivity to bright colors a long time ago.

As such, what really stood out to me the most was the completely unoccupied and plain as could be wooden stall right by the place I had solved the expansion issue a few days ago.

I stopped and stared at it for a little while. To see a blank stall in the middle of such an active place was so eerie that I almost couldn’t stand it. Eventually, my curiosity and annoyance at people dodging around me and obstructing my vision inspired me to cut through the crowd and observe it up close.

It was definitely creepy, no getting around it, and that was saying something for a perfectly neat construction of pale, clean wood. Maybe I had just never considered the idea that a stand could in fact be in a state between construction and decoration for a prolonged period of time. I tried to rack my brain in an attempt to remember any set up documents during my brief work phase, but came up blank. Either I hadn’t paid close enough attention to that level of detail or that information had just become lost in the process of doing nothing for two days.

“In case you were wondering, that’s for a special guest that happens to be running a bit late.”

I was completely caught off guard from such a simple statement and nearly tripped over myself while jumping. The people running the adjacent stands and their respective crowds hadn’t been paying me any mind, so I hadn’t expected anyone at all to just come up and start talking to me. But sure enough, someone had, and I turned around to see the fading smirk on the face of Professor Spruce.

“Come on, Jijri, I didn’t even do anything wrong and you start jumping around like that. How rude,” the professor commented, a teasing lilt added into her words. I laughed in a way that could only be described as nervous, not knowing what else to do. “A Champion shouldn’t be so jumpy, Jijri. You need to be more composed to do this sort of thing properly, after all.”

When it came down to it, the two professors couldn’t be more different. While Professor Maple exerted some form of motherly vibe off of her, Professor Spruce matched up with the experience I imagined was akin to having an aggressive older sister in a completely different bracket then what Fri was. In fact, trying to compare those two women together as well was nothing more than a death trap of what to do with yourself.

“Well, I guess I still need some work then,” I admitted. From the looks of it, Professor Spruce was just as surprised by the statement as I was. I had never been one to say stuff like that as long as I could remember, but I guess there was a first time for everything. Before the conversation could go down a route I wasn’t in the mood for, I decided to give it a different push. “You said that this stand was for someone that hasn’t arrived yet?”

Professor Spruce narrowed her eyes, completely catching on to my pathetic excuse for a conversation change. Even so, she let me get away with it out of some odd moment of whatever was going on inside her head (I preferred to stay out of that neck of the woods, thank you very much). “Yeah, they were traveling from overseas and had some issues. They’ll show up soon enough, but there were some major delays.”

I let out a low whistle of appreciation. Having people come from different regions for the express purpose of our dinky little summer festival was a big achievement for the town as a whole. And looking back into the stand, I could realize just how big it was. There was even a little door built into the front to let people into the back of the booth, plus a rig that looked ready to support some cloth backgrounds and the like. They certainly weren’t just trying to pull off a minor operation in this place, which lead to a very important question.

“Just what are they gonna set up in here?” I asked, taking the bait. Professor Spruce grinned, and I knew I was in for it.

“Oh, I am _so_ glad you asked that, Jijri-bozu,” she said, and I winced at the informal, completely unnecessary, and childlike insult. How was it that the professors were the same age again and happy with each other when they acted completely different? I let the objection slide in favor of not being distracted from the answer I had been seeking in the first place. Professor Spruce slapped her hand against the stand’s surface a few times. “This here’s going to be for a guest that can talk to Pokémon, got it?”

I blinked, the memory suddenly coming back to me. Come to think about it, Wato had said something like that a few days ago, hadn’t he? I hadn’t thought that there was any way something like that would be true, but I guess that I was wrong. I technically owed the guy an apology for doubting him like that, but he hadn’t been aware of by distrust in the first place, but there was no need to make him aware of it just for the sake of apologizing. I would have to repent in some other way, say, a mental apology for a mental transgression. There, easy.

“So I guess he was right after all…” I muttered out loud. I shrugged when the professor gave me a raised-eyebrow kind of look. “It isn’t some sort of scam artist thing, is it? I mean…” The speed at which Professor Spruce could slip into an angry frowning pout that should have been reserved for teenage girls was astounding. “Sorry, sorry. I trust you guys, but it’s hard to confirm these sorts of things because there isn’t a board of trustees or whatever to say it’s the real deal.”

Professor Spruce heaved an exasperated sigh, intentionally exaggerated for good measure. “Geez, I thought you were supposed to be less stuck up than this,” she complained. “Don’t tell me you let that girl whip you into shape so easy, _bozu_.”

Ouch, she completely skipped over my name that time. I was reduced to a mere nonexistent honorific and nothing else. Surely it was illegal to use words like that on people once they passed the age of fifteen, right?

“Oh, whatever. If you don’t believe me, that’s your loss. But I’m telling you, this isn’t some sideshow in an amusement park or anything. We’ve got the genuine article set up and ready to go once they get here. If you wanna check it yourself I’d like to see you try.” With that rant out of her system, Professor Spruce grinned again. “It’ll blow your mind, you know. Even I was speechless the first time I saw him in action.”

For some reason, a speechless Professor Spruce was a more impressive idea to me than anyone that could talk to Pokémon. I would pay a ridiculous amount of money out of my Champion funds if it meant that someone would show me proof that such a thing had even occurred.

I had never been so grateful for the ability to keep my mouth shut in my entire life.

“Well, if it’s as impressive as you say it is Professor, I’ll be sure to check it out,” I agreed, partially in the interest of saving my own skin from an unnecessary lecture that was just brimming, waiting on a horizon I intended to run as far away from in the opposite direction. Despite that being my intent, I couldn’t detect any traces of sarcasm in my own voice, which I guess was a good thing. And in the end, it really couldn’t hurt to check out something like a person that could talk to Pokémon in the first place. Even if it was a joke, it should have some good memories to put on the side regardless.

“Damn right, you better go check it out!” Professor Spruce asserted. I was left in the dust to wonder where she got all of her energy and enthusiasm for something like this anyway. If I didn’t know better, I would have said that she has some sort of personal stake buried in this whole mess. Before I could contemplate that thought any farther, I was distracted by the analytical look the professor happened to be directing towards me. “Hey, are you managing alright, Jijri? Something seems off about you, you know?”

Huh, I was surprised it took her this long to catch on. Then again, Professor Spruce had been off gathering research when I had returned home with Wicker in tow, and we hadn’t talked in any of the gaps since. That meant that the last time she had seen me was at my Championship induction ceremony. The only reason for the discrepancy was lack of interaction, which in the end gave her a much better contrast to notice the differences from.

If that wasn’t true, then I was more obvious about these sorts of things than I would have liked to admit.

“Um, well…” I said, fishing around for the right words. “I guess, if anything I’ve been having these weird dreams lately.” I hadn’t meant to say that, but since the Meowth was out of the bag, there was no point in keeping it a secret. Just the look on the professor’s face was enough to know she could rip the information out of me in no time whatsoever. “I dunno, I just get this weird nostalgia vibe off of them even though they’re things I know I haven’t done before. You and Professor Maple keep showing up and asking me all these weird questions, and when I wake up I feel like an idiot for not being able to answer them properly…” I stopped talking there. That was enough prattling for one moment of weakness.

Professor Spruce frowned a little, something she only did when in serious thought. “Well, I guess that sort of stuff happens, huh?” she offered. It was a bit lame of response, but I didn’t have anything better for an idea, so I let it go. “If you want a proper opinion on that, go and find a dream interpreter in this mess of stalls. Though in my opinion, that sort of stuff’s bogus…” the professor grumbled a bit before readjusting her focus. “Are you really so worried about something like a dream, though, Jijri-bozu? I thought you were better than that.”

I could have mentioned everything else, the _real_ dream that was bothering me, the sense of incompleteness, all of it. I didn’t do it. When she put it that way, what was I doing worrying about something that was just my own imagination? This was a _festival_, dammit, and I wasn’t going to ruin anyone else’s time when I should be focusing on having fun instead.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I said, laughing a bit. “Thanks, Professor, I needed that. I’ll see you later then.”

I slipped back into the crowd before she could stop me, heading back towards the food concessions areas to prevent myself from looking for a dream interpreter seriously. Even if I wasn’t all that hungry, surely eating was the best answer to the problem right now.

* * *

Somehow I made it to the evening hours without getting a heart attack. No matter the amount of walking I had done heading from one area to the next while trying to distract myself from every mental occurrence that arrived, I knew for a fact that I would be seeing a few new pounds added on to my weight if I ever bothered to look at a scale again. In highly questionable and egocentric best interests, I figured that I should avoid that sort of thing for at least a few weeks.

And while it didn’t make me stop thinking, the whole excursion made me feel better. Errat and Fri were too busy to hang out with, but that was the only damper on my nostalgia. The fact that I would eat roughly the same menu of food each year suddenly came to light and I experimented with some new food stands I hadn’t registered while I had been scurrying around helping the planning committee. I blew too much money on being a terrible shot with darts. I even sat down and listened to the band that wanted their stand expanded and wondered what the difference in sound quality would have been if they were missing those extra seats Fri had granted them.

At the end of the day, I still had energy. The sun going down didn’t mean curl up on the couch and try to sleep through the last remains of construction noise. I had no desire to do such a thing for the record, but even if I had, I would have fought it off for the chance to finally celebrate Errat’s inheritance.

There were various seating areas scattered throughout the town, old recycled picnic tables and benches mixed in with newer ones that had worked their way into storage over the years. As expected, there were plenty around the food alleyways, but Fri had pulled around some strings to reserve off one of the areas for Errat’s party. The Noda family stand was perched nearby, and once I helped clear the uninterested people out of the way, Errat’s siblings started to work their way around the tables, setting out a dinner that only Errat and Fri’s efforts could have pulled together.

“You sure haven’t stopped by in a while, Jijri,” a voice called out, grabbing onto my attention. Errat’s mother stood on the sidelines, the first time at a festival I had seen her go without being buried up to her neck in cooking. She smiled, and I shuffled my way over to her, taking care not to knock over any of the younger kids as they worked their way towards the tables.

“Hey, Mrs. Noda,” I answered, feeling as if the greeting was too informal to the woman that had served as one of three mothers for our trio of friendship. “Sorry for not stopping by I’ve been…” Busy wasn’t the right word. Lying about it would fly with Errat’s mom even less than it would do with everyone else. As courteous as ever of my awkward pause, she waited while I mentally fumbled for a response. “I’ve been preoccupied,” I finally decided on, the closest I could get to the truth.

“So I’ve heard. Errat says that you’ve been working on finding the best way to achieve your dream, isn’t that right?” She laughed in the exact same way as Errat while I blushed profusely. Not only was he bothering me with unnecessary memories, the rat was spreading rumors to his family as well! If this wasn’t his party there would be no delay in my retaliation.

But that being said, I guess that was probably the best excuse I could manage for what I _had_ been doing—that is, to say, nothing. If you got super technical about it, me being highly distracted and having an intense desire to get over it—not coming up with ideas, mind you, just wanting to—would in fact get me closer to achieving that ill-considered childhood dream, but only if you were super picky and vague about all of the details included. And while it was a borderline lie, it sure as hell sounded better than “I’ve been super lazy for months” did.

“Well, I can’t let Errat be the only one to get what he was dreaming about,” I said. “That and Fri’s almost there, too. Letting them win over me isn’t really something I can stand for without a fight.” Just saying the words made me feel like they were true. Man, how gullible was I to go and fall for something I knew for a fact wasn’t true? “I mean, just look at all this.” I nodded my head in the general direction of the ever-increasing piles of food as they finished their journey from kitchen to tables. “If Errat can pull this off while still heading up the booth for the festival, surely I can throw a ball at a Pokémon enough times to convince it to stay with me.”

_Right_?

Errat’s mom nodded in appreciation before giving me an encouraging slap on the back, almost knocking me over. “Atta boy! You’ve already caught one legend, there’s no harm in trying for another, Mr. Champion!” she said, laughing afterwards. I took some personal time to try and regain my ability to breathe. “But you’re right; Errat sure did pull off something great. He even insisted I stay out of it so he could prove that he was ready for this.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I forgot what it was like to not be inside the kitchen at all…”

Wow, I was floored. Errat was my best friend, and I was still this level of impressed. I had only managed to make it out the door on my journey with the entire town convincing me it was a good idea, to go out and see the world. And Errat was just the type to shout encouragements at me then heading back and locking himself up in his room for hours on end, trying to create the best possible experience he could all by himself.

And I was just patting myself on the back for only pulling off a fraction of the work Fri and Errat had put into this festival.

“I’ll go and help him out!” I said, accidentally projecting the words into a shout. The natural noisiness of the festival air was the only thing that stopped me from being noticed. “Sorry to leave so suddenly Mrs. Noda, but things will go smoother if there’s another pair of hands around, right? Later!” I didn’t even wait for a response, but I was filled with too much self-loathing at the moment to worry about my bad manners. I sprinted into the kitchen, weaving around Errat’s siblings until I found the Noda heir directing his family, all managing food with an expertise level I could never match.

Errat had control over the one section of the back side of the stand that wasn’t coated in food, and across the table was a drawn out diagram of what I guessed was the layout for the upcoming part outside. The entire place oozed the smell of food, and I shoved my hands in my pockets for the sake of not stealing anything. Not only would someone like Errat notice, but there was a gathering of hard-working children that would rat me out in a second should their older brother’s senses fail. I approached my best friend with caution.

“Okay, Mixie, take that main dish to this table here—Oh, hey Jijri—No, the side dishes are all over there, _that’s_ where the dessert is—How’s it goin’, man? Glad you came—Yeah, these two go together, see the little marker? Make sure that—Fine, fine, I get it, you know what you’re doing, so just go for it—What can I do for you, Jijri?”

I had completely missed out on the parts of the conversation intended for me. No matter how many times I watched the Noda family in action, their ability to communicate in a few food-related gestures and commands to produce fantastic levels of meals I always got distracted by something else. While he waited for my answer, Errat shot off a few more commands to a few of his brothers, who both performed about faces in the direction of their newest objectives.

“Um, I just wanted to see if I could help out any but it looks like you’ve got things covered here…” I said, looking around. Sure enough, I felt like if I moved from my spot any, I’d just be getting in the way. Just how much space did they have back here to store up this much food? “I guess I can get out of here if I’m being a hindrance, though. Sorry for the intrusion.” I tried my best to back up, only to have Errat shake his head at me.

“Come on, you know we can always use a bit of help,” he said. I had just gone from feeling better about finally deciding to something useful to silly about trying to help to resigned to the fact, and back to feeling silly for not thinking my help would be needed. By this point in my life, I was slowly becoming a wreck. “How ‘bout this? Most of everything is out there and good to go, but you can take that dish—the one with the silver tray—to this table here.” Errat made gestures to the dish and question before pointing to the desired location on the diagram.

It took me a moment to match up my mental map of the set up outside with its related markings on the paper, but it finally clicked for me. “Got it,” I said with probably way too much determination. At the very least, I was certain this was something I could do without screwing everything up. No need for my reactions to reflect badly on Errat and Fri’s hard work.

Errat patted by back, and gave me a light shove in the direction of the dish in question. “Go for it, then, man, it’s in your hands,” he said. Even I thought he was pushing the dramatic factor a bit, but I had no room to call him out on it. I simply picked up the dish as directed and headed for the entrance. “It’s good to have you back in action, Jijri.”

I paused, turning around to question him. Errat was already back to discussing things with his siblings, so I let it go, focusing on the weight of the food tray in my hands.

_Good to have me back, huh?_

To tell the truth, I don’t think I agreed with that statement much. I didn’t feel like anything I had done was exactly like I was before. But then again, it wasn’t really my view of things that mattered all that much right now. If I was going to feel better about myself, then I needed to have others that could look at me and help me along. So maybe when it came down to it, I should have been focusing more on how others thought of me?

Maybe I was wrong, but so what? I had been thinking about everything wrong for a while now, so any new perspective was worth a shot. I tried my best to think about it, though, even if there was a tiny chance of ever getting it right. In the people around me, the people in this town, in this region, what did they think when they saw me or heard my name?

I was the Champion, that was a good start. In order to become the Champion, you had to be strong and determined, at least that was what I had believed whenever I had admired the Champion as a kid. I was someone who would go out of their way to follow a Pokémon around the continent, for long enough that I could have Wicker at my side now. I guess that kind of blind determination made me stupid, didn’t it?

But maybe being stupid was something people admired, judging by how everyone seemed to look at me. They all believed in me, kept pushing me forward. So I guess that meant that I was a person that would always push forward for my goals and what I believed in, no matter what.

Was I really that kind of person? I guess it didn’t matter. Did I want to be that kind of person was a way better question anyway. And I guess I kind of did, at least a little bit. I don’t know like I was treating it like some sort of profound revelation, though. When it came down to it, wanting to meet the expectations of the people that cared about you was something normal.

So in the end, I should have just stopped making excuses and just do the things I really wanted to do.

First things first, at least, I needed to make sure I took this food to the right spot. If I couldn’t even pull of simple table setting, then there was no point in properly making the decision to get out there and do giant life goals at all. Honing in my focus on that, I headed for the spot in the table area and put the dish that I had been entrusted with down with a little too much force.

Right in front of Fri.

She looked like she had been sitting down for a while, doing all of her nitpicky little things she always did to set up for eating. A pair of chopsticks was on the table, perfectly parallel with the edge, and a napkin was spread across her lap already. Looking at the surrounding table settings, there were even name cards holding places for Errat and myself from being taken by anyone else.

_Errat, you slimy little bastard._

Fri and I stared at each other for a moment, not doing anything else. I had been holding onto the dish too long, and what heat that was coming off of it was starting to get to my fingers. I couldn’t bring myself to let go, just because I was stuck staring into Fri’s wide-eyes. She looked rather cute as a Deerling caught in the headlights, though that was definitely a thought I intended to keep to myself.

“You came,” Fri said, breaking into my limited concentration with just a whisper. Her expression looked like she was debating between whether to frown or to smile, and in the end she gave in and presented me with the latter. “It’s a good thing you showed up, because you promised me, Jijri. Although, not going to the festival is one thing, but missing out on Errat’s celebration is another matter entirely!”

Her words, on the other hand, couldn’t have been in more of an opposition. I couldn’t help but laugh about it. I was sitting here worrying about my friends getting too far away from me, but in the end, Fri was Fri and Errat was Errat. So that meant it would be okay for me to just be me, right? To go after the stupid little things I wanted?

“Of course I came. I did promise after all,” I retorted. “Come on, Fri, you need to have a little bit of faith in me, now. I’m a bit more than hurt by the fact that you didn’t think I would come through.”

“Look who’s talking!” Fri stood up, dropping her napkin on the ground and hitting her hands against the table. I stood up, but even with my height advantage, her glare was still terribly intimidating. In a moment of fear, I let my burst of laughter escape again. “What are you laughing at?! I’m serious!”

“I know, I know.” I let myself laugh it out a bit more before taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down. “Listen, Fri, I’m sorry about how I’ve been acting for the past few weeks,” I said, my tone coming out the serious way I had wanted it to. “You were absolutely right for yelling at me earlier. I feel like an idiot for not listening to you. So let me try and make it up to you.”

“Wh-what are you—?” For some reason, I was propping myself up on the table, leaning closer to Fri. It wasn’t something I was exactly focusing on at the moment.

“Let me take you on a date!”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

I paused to lower my voice. “You know, Fri, a date,” I said. “As in you and I go out together to the festival, you take a break from all your work, I get out of the house for once and I pay for everything.” Fri only continued to stare at me. “I mean, if you want to turn me down, that’s perfectly fine, too, but I thought I would just—”

“Fine.” This time it was my turn to stare. I really wasn’t ready to accept what I had just heard as the truth since I didn’t think there was any way for it to be this easy. “Are you dense, Jijri, I’m accepting your invitation. Shouldn’t you be happy or something about this?”

I really wished that Fri wouldn’t worry about stuff like that. Of course I was happy. I was the happiest I had ever been, even more than when I became the Champion, more than when I had captured Wicker. I was so happy, that even the sound of Errat whistling in the background couldn’t stop me from breaking out into a grin.


	6. File Five: Relationship Development

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

File Five: Relationship Development

* * *

Since I had sort of just sprung the whole date on her out of nowhere the night before, Fri still had festival responsibilities to tend to, especially since the shrine ceremony was tomorrow. However, all of her hard work had paid off, and they were ahead of schedule as it was. She tried to hide it, but I had known that Fri would still be paranoid about things getting done without her. In the end, Professor Maple had to assure her that it would be fine, and Fri deserved some time off after all of the hard work she had done already.

When it came down to it, I should have considered myself lucky that she didn’t decide to reschedule our date until after the _festival_ was over, let alone the ceremony.

As such, we had to have our date for the afternoon. Not needing to do work and not wanting to overdo it on the festival for myself, I had initially planned to sleep in through the morning and wake up with enough time to get ready and at least show up early. However, I found myself awake in the early hours of the morning anyway, during which time I realized that I really hadn’t planned this out well in the slightest.

I had condensed it simply enough—wandering around the festival and taking a chunk of my Championship funds out in the process—but I wondered if that was enough. Surely, Fri was going to have plenty of things in mind that she wanted to do, but she would still criticize me for letting her do all the work whenever I was supposed to be helping her relax.

Agh, this was supposed to be a victory for me and it was quickly turning into some sort of nightmare.

I willed myself to relax a little. I was sure that things would be able to flow naturally enough between the two of us, and if I got stuck, I could just pull on my memories of what we used to do as kids. It was kind of a dangerous strategy, because there was no guarantee she liked the same things anymore, and it was just supposed to be the two of us, no Errat involved. I would just leave it to luck and working off the top of my head. It had been successful in getting me into my date, so it should serve plenty when it came to making the date a success.

In the end, there was nothing else to do but get ready and go. I had left insanely early, but I was prepared for the idea that maybe something would come up and cause a diversion. Nothing did, so I was left waiting by the entrance to the festival closest to Fri’s house for quite some time. It might have been better to go and pick her up at the door for the sake of romance, but Fri didn’t want it.

I ran over my mental checklist one more time. I had pulled out some of my nicer-but-still-casual clothes for the occasion, my wallet was secure in my pocket, and I was on time. I didn’t have to force myself to act any certain way; I just had to be me, and everything would work out. As long as we were having fun, it should have been fine.

Way easier said than done.

“Aw, no waaaaaay! Jijri got her fiiiirst! How’d you do iiiit?” Fuji’s words were accompanied by the familiar sensation of her pulling on my pants, albeit this time with one hand instead of two. She was back in Fri’s old yukata again, the hand not pulling on my pants brandishing a spool of cotton candy. I was terribly glad that I had chosen to wear a belt today; the last thing I needed to do was end up unintentionally being pantsed in front of my date’s little sister.

Speaking of my date.

“I just came early is all,” I said, patting Fuji on her head. I took care not to knock her hair out of place; making her cry was, coincidentally, _also_ the last thing I needed to do. “Where’s Fri, Fuji-chan? Don’t tell me you ran all the way here and left her behind.” Of course, this could have also been a practical joke from the start. Maybe Fri hadn’t intended to go on the date with me in the first place, and Fuji was her way of telling me that.

Except Fuji was looking around, an almost panicked look on her face, and my suspicions were erased instantly. It looked like the fact of the matter was that the younger sister had gotten overexcited—probably had challenged Fri to a race, at that—and ran on ahead. Sure enough, Fri arrived soon enough, not out of breath in the slightest.

The older sister was in a yukata of her own, although the difference of age couldn’t have been more striking (and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible). The yukata did its work of showing off her figure perfectly—and that’s all the more I’m going to say about that. Fri had put up her hair in a similar manner to Fuji’s, although their bangs had been tussled differently, something I was amazed I had even noticed given how similar they were.

I always pointed out how much they were the same, but this really brought it out. Even their yukata had similar patterns to them, right down to style and color scheme. True, they weren’t exactly replicas of each other, but you could easily imagine Fuji growing up to looking like Fri, or Fri having looked like Fuji when she was younger.

The only real noticeable difference was in their expressions, but I guess that was normal. Fuji was a kid at a festival; Fri was a young woman about to go on a date. Putting experience aside, their personalities had a whole hell of a lot to do with that, too. Figures that I would end up dealing with the more sour temperament in my choice. Although, I don’t know why I was thinking too hard about something like this at all.

“You both look really great,” I said. I’m sure that the correct response would have been to compliment them individually (with my date’s name first), but Fri seemed to accept it, a slight smile showing up on her face. It suddenly occurred to me that, even if my earlier paranoia wasn’t entirely granted, Fri had still brought her little sister along for the ride. “So, what are your plans for the day, Fuji-chan?”

I had worked hard to keep the nervousness out of my voice, but I could have sworn that Fri had smirked anyways. Fuji didn’t seem to take notice however, finishing a bite of her cotton candy before answering, “I’m gonna go around the festival with my friends! I’m trying to save my money so that I have enough for all the days, but it’s really hard…”

Fuji looked really crestfallen, a feeling I could remember quite well from being a kid. Saving money hadn’t been one of my strong points, and I would always have to go back and ask Mom for more to be able to eat the next day. The only reason I wasn’t broke now was that I didn’t have enough things to buy with all of my Championship money, even with paying the bills and tending to my Pokémon.

Things could have only been worse for Fuji, especially since their parents had to take care of two kids instead of one. Sure, Fri was probably earning her own keep and on the borderline of moving out, but I knew her family. They would do their best to give both of their daughters would they could with their income, and have to rely on pristinely preserved hand-me-downs for the rest.

Feeling a bit guilty for the obnoxious amount of money I was carrying, I slipped out one of the bills. Fri’s eyes widened, but she didn’t object.

“Here, Fuji-chan, why don’t you take this?” I said. I wondered if a girl her age even understood the value of this much money or not. Regardless, she stretched out her hands, taking the bill when I gave it to her. “Now keep that safe and don’t let anyone else see that except for people you’re buying things from. Make sure you share with your friends, too.”

Fuji nodded, going to add the money to her purse. She put the purse over both her shoulders for good measure. “Thanks, Jijri,” she said, then buried her face behind her cotton candy. I wondered if she was just as embarrassed to show off when she was blushing as her sister.

Okay, that whole thing made me feel pretty good, even if that wasn’t exactly what I had been doing it for. I had just been feeling like she deserved it, all things considered, and more than a bit generous since she wasn’t going to be coming along for the ride and going with her friends instead. Speaking of which… I took a look around the area, but with the crowds, it was hard to tell if there were any kids approaching.

“They’ll be here soon. We did all arrive early after all,” Fri said. It was solid logic, and kids were far more bound to make timely arrivals. Despite that, Fri looked a bit embarrassed. “Although, I suppose I should have told them an earlier time so that we could have left sooner…”

I shook my head, reaching out for her hand. I hoped that was still a comforting gesture to her, and I could at least confirm it wasn’t _un_pleasant from the fact that Fri let her fingers mingle with mine. “Nah, this actually works out,” I assured. “There’s something I wanted to talk about that I’d rather get out of the way before we actually start the date.”

“Oh?” Fri immediately switched over into business mode, an action so effortless that it startled me. I had been hoping to keep this sort of casual, but I guess it was serious enough. I tried to muster my own bravado, although it couldn’t compare to hers in the slightest. “What is it, then?”

For a moment, I almost stopped. I knew first hand all of the work that Fri had put into the shrine ceremony. What I was about to ask for… Well, it would involve a lot of extra work. I really had no place requesting this sort of thing, especially considering just how _un_reasonable it was.

Except I had a place. I was the Champion, after all. I hadn’t stepped into office yet—there was a vast amount of politics and paperwork waiting at the end of Victory Road for me this time around—and was really on more of a sabbatical at the moment, rendering my official capacity for authority pretty much useless. Even so, Champion title or no, I was still Jijri in Fri’s eyes, so she’d take my request from that angle, and leave the rest behind.

That was encouragement enough.

“I want to try and capture the legendary Pokémon at the Shrine Ceremony,” I said, pushing the words out before I lost my nerve. I kept my eyes open, making my vision unfocused so I could look confident without really having to see her at all. “I know that I’m really pushing it, but I think it’s what I need to do. If I don’t try, I’ll never know if I can achieve my dream. So please, would it be possible to let me try? I’ll do—”

I focused for a moment, and Fri’s expression hadn’t changed. Fuji-chan was staring at me, eyes wide and mouth open, but her sister wasn’t. I had at least expected _something_—a smile, a frown, work with me here!—but nothing hadn’t been it. It was enough to bring my heartfelt words to a halt.

And just as suddenly, Fri smirked.

“Stupid Jijri, why do you think I asked to have the Shrine Ceremony coordinator position?” she said. I hadn’t been this smug in my entire life, Fri was practically oozing superiority in my direction. “I was nominated to be part of the festival committee the month before you left. It’s why I shoved you out of the house, so you would be ready whenever the time came.

“In other words, I’ve been planning two variations of the shrine ceremony, and they’ve both been approved depending on circumstance, including the one where you challenge the legendary Pokémon.”

Fri didn’t wear glasses (her vision far exceeded any need for them), but they would have fit her image so perfectly in that moment that I was prepared to fly her to a nearby city and purchase a pair any moment. She had gotten this approved long before I had considered such a thing, made preparations because she knew me well enough to predict this—or force me into it, but whatever. That meant she had gotten permission from the Professors, the rest of the festival committee, the Elders—

I couldn’t help it. The only reasonable action in this situation was to hug her. I wanted to see if she was shocked or not, but that would have required pulling away.

“I don’t know why you did it,” I whispered, “but thank you.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” she whispered back. “I’m supposed to look out for you, remember? To make sure you go through with the things you say you’ll do?

“It’s what your mom wanted after all.”

We fell into a silence, even though the festival crowd around us provided plenty of noise to make up for it. I felt bad for not thinking about my mother this entire time, but there was no point in dwelling on it now. Soon enough, Fuji’s friends appeared through the crowd, whisking the younger sister off without a moment to waste. Fri smiled, slipping her hand into mine and leaning on my shoulder.

“I hope that display earlier wasn’t just for show and you really don’t have much money left,” she said, words still biting. “After all, it would be a waste if you didn’t happen to bring enough money for your actual date with you, Jijri.”

I smiled a little as an answer, letting her teasing go. We headed off into the festival at a much slower pace than we had in the past.

* * *

I had been worrying about just how much Fri would actually be able to relax at the festival, even though that had been our whole point in coming in the first place. When it came down to events she had planned in the past, she always seemed to be more obsessed with making sure they turned out perfect in opposition to having fun—even at things like her own birthday party. Wondering if she would have the same problem at something as big as the festival… Let’s just say I felt like my concerns were justified.

However, Fri seemed to be managing just fine. I’ll admit it: I was more than a bit stunned. Eventually I let myself get over it and enjoy myself, which proved to be easy enough. Fri _did_ have a mental checklist of things to do, from what foods to eat and what games to play and even what rides to go on. It wasn’t like she would have made me go broke anyway, but I was glad that I had cashed the amount of money that I had before this date for the sake of my wallet.

The sad part was that _I_ was the one thinking too hard. I had run a number of errands under Fri that day, and learned of the many problems people had in setting things up. Each stall I looked at, I could think of a hundred things to run checks on.

Fri was rubbing off on me. Maybe that’s why she was so calm. I had stolen all of her OCD.

“Oh, it looks like this stall still isn’t open,” Fri said, stopping me in my tracks. Sure enough, the stand of the person who could allegedly speak to Pokémon was still as blank and empty as it had been the other day. “I hope that the people who requested it are okay. Traveling overseas can get pretty rough at times. What do you think, Jijri? Would you bring any of your Pokémon here to talk to them?”

I couldn’t even find it in me to pretend to be surprised. “It figures that you would know about these guys, Fri,” I said. The professors must have really trusted her, considering how top-secret Wato had made it seem. Of course, the assistant could have been blowing things completely out of the water. “And I guess it could be interesting, but I’m a little skeptic.”

Fri rolled her eyes. “Since when did _you_ become so practical?”

“It’s not practicality, it’s experience,” I retorted. At least I hoped that it was. “I’ve run into more than a few people out there who claim to be able to talk to Pokémon, and they always come up short. I know that this person is a friend of the professors’ and all, but I just don’t want people getting swept up in something that isn’t even real.”

Fri laughed a little, lifting my mood away from my somewhat somber response. “Maybe you should test it out when they come by. I’m sure you and your championship team have good enough bonds that you’ll be able to tell if it’s the real deal or not.”

Now there was a thought. Sure, I had only been visiting my Pokémon and not being around them all hours, but that didn’t mean our bond depleted any. I had even being going to see them every day. Sure, it seemed like a few of them were jealous of the attention I had been giving Wicker, but I was sure that could be worked out easily with some quality time and festival food.

“Oh, there you are Jijri!” Wato’s voice still managed to be distinctive over the crowd, catching my attention. He had what looked like some Noda stand food in one of his hands, and had even dressed up for the sake of the festival. I guessed that he either had the day off from the lab, or maybe it just wasn’t his shift yet. “I’m really sorry to interrupt you like this, but is it true that you’re going to try and challenge the Shrine Pokémon at the ceremony?”

I was taken aback by Wato’s possession of the information, as well as the fact that Fri didn’t seem bothered that he was spreading it around. Sure, it probably was better that people knew it was going to happen, but I wasn’t ready for that stage yet. All I had wanted was a nice peaceful day, and now we were going to be clustered with attention.

Just making a decision to do something didn’t justify this sort of treatment yet.

“Yes, we’re going through with the plan,” Fri said, smiling. I almost had to double take. Wato was in on this too? Was I the only person that was clueless about what I was going to be doing tomorrow?! “I trust that the professors are doing their best with the promotional strategy?”

_Promotional strategy?_ Just how far thought out was this mess?

“Yeah, they’ve been telling people who stop by the lab. It’s been spreading the word pretty fast. That’s how I found out.” Wato turned to me. “Good luck, tomorrow, Jijri! Oh, wait, you’re not supposed to say good luck when it comes to things like this… Break a leg then!”

“Yeah, thanks,” I managed to say. Seriously, though, the news had spread that fast? I had only made the decision a few hours ago. I didn’t remember this town being such a rumor mill, even during festival time. Then again, I didn’t remember Wato being such a sucker for rumors, either… “Well, we’re sort of on a date here, so we’ll just be going…”

Wato’s eyes instantly widened at those words. I could feel the amount of questions coming before the boy even opened his mouth. Not even giving some form of farewell, I grabbed Fri’s wrist and pulled her into the crowd. Given how many people there were around, it was pretty easy to throw Wato off our trail. I just hoped that he hadn’t become the type of person that would follow us in search of answers.

We didn’t stop until we were out of the lane, instead intermingling ourselves with the crowd that had formed around the game area. Some years the business would be slow here, but that didn’t appear to be the case this time. Every stand seemed to have someone playing, and most even had small lines forming as people waited to be play. It seemed like this year would be profitable to everyone.

“I honestly thought that you’d be better at handling attention than that, Mr. Campion,” Fri commented, repressing a snicker. I rolled my eyes. Fri lightly pushed my arm. “Don’t be like that,” she scolded. “You should have known that a declaration like that was going to be a big deal. Of course people are gonna want to talk to you about it.”

“Yeah, well, I was just kind of hoping for it to be kept quiet for a little bit, you know?” Now I was just paranoid that everyone would suddenly notice me again, make a big deal out of my existence. I didn’t think I could handle having that much attention again after just a few months of rest. “Besides, if everyone keeps clamoring around me, I’m not going to be able to give you my full attention, you know.”

Damn my face for heating up! The only good thing about it was that Fri ended up blushing, too, so I counted us as being even. She shifted a little bit, pulling the slip of paper that served as her to do list out of her pocket. I gave her a few minutes to look it over, agreeing that it was best that we didn’t focus on how awkward we were in that moment.

“You know… there’s really only one more thing to do on my list,” Fri said. “How about we take care of it and then we can go someplace where no one will really find us?”

I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

Technically, Fri had lied, and there were _two_ things that she wanted to do. However, picking up dinner from the Noda stand was such a tradition that I considered it a requirement other than a request necessary of marking down on a list, so I let it slide. Errat seemed to be running things to perfection, the food from the stand reaching the same quality that had been established at last night’s dinner.

So, with our stomachs full and a Pancham doll I had won after several dart throwing attempts safe in Fri’s arms, we headed for the swing at the Pokémon Lab.

It was getting close to evening by now, and the professors and lab assistants were busy escorting all of their guests out for the evening. I wondered if Fri had planned our visit with the end of visiting hours, but I wasn’t about to complain. Trainers that had Pokémon at the lab were free to visit whenever they liked, and Fri helped out a lot, so our getting in wasn’t an issue.

Fri had a hard time navigating the hills with her sandals on, so I ended up carrying her most of the way. Sure, she could have made it without shoes, but it didn’t matter to me. At least this time we had water, and the setting sun made it way less hot than it could have been, so the journey was a relatively easy one up to the swing.

The only thing that caught my attention was that Wicker didn’t join us, but I guessed that was okay. Maybe she was just giving us privacy or she hadn’t had the chance to warm up to Fri yet. Either way, I wasn’t too concerned. I was supposed to be giving all of my attention to Fri, and I would need to come back here tomorrow to gather up my team for the challenge at the shrine ceremony.

All of that could wait, though. I sat Fri down on the swing, and she managed to put her arms around the ropes while still hugging her doll. I might have blushed from how cute it was, but at least I could hide it by going behind her to push her.

“Hey, Jijri,” Fri said, before I could start aforementioned pushing. She even tilted her head back to look at me. So much for my not-so-carefully constructed plan. “Thanks for carrying me up here. You didn’t have to.”

“Nah, it’s cool,” I said. I was certainly the master of elegance, and a real charmer at that. I was seriously questioning why Fri had even bothered to say yes in the first place.

“Yeah, but you won me this toy, too…” Fri hugged the Pancham tighter to her chest. I was actually impressed that I had won enough consecutive games to earn a prize that big. It might have been cheaper to just go into the city and buy her a toy, but that didn’t have quite the same effect. “So at least let me give you something for a reward and a thank you for a good time today, alright? Lean closer.”

It was such an obvious ploy that I should have seen it coming. Even so, I had the idiocy level to be surprised that she kissed me. It was short, chaste, and upside down, but I wasn’t about to complain. I just hoped that the dinner I had eaten wasn’t unappealing or anything.

Fri was the one that broke it, and I stood up, no chance at reigning in the color of my cheeks anytime soon. Fri seemed satisfied enough, sitting up properly. “Alright, time to get going!” she declared. “You’re a big boy now, Jijri, so I expect to be able to see every corner of this lab when you’re pushing me alright?!”

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, laughing softly. The sound of my laughter mixed into hers as I started to push, putting my all into it in hopes that she would be able to more than the lab by the time we were finished.

I might as well have been on the swing with her, soaring up into the sky.


	7. File Six: Event Buildup

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

File Six: Event Buildup

* * *

The day of the Shrine Ceremony arrived, and I woke up at the crack of dawn out of sheer nerves. The ceremony wouldn’t take place until this evening, so I had plenty of time to kill, but it didn’t feel like it. There was a lot that went into the ceremony judging by all the diagrams and plans Fri kept, and it was a lot more than I expected. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that she had been planning two different scenarios, but still.

I planned to help, but nobody was going to be at the shrine this early. Fri had given explicit instructions that everyone was to get a good night’s rest, which was why we had finished up our date a bit earlier than I would have liked. At least I had managed to pass out pretty quickly, so waking up this early hadn’t made me less than well rested or anything.

I tried to take my time in getting ready— wasting plenty of water in the shower, taking an obnoxiously long amount of time to walk down the stairs, letting my cereal become utterly saturated with milk—but that still only shaved an hour off my morning, which wasn’t quite enough.

Finally, I gave in and wandered outside, walking through the trees on autopilot. My feet didn’t seem to have any more of a clue where we were going than I did, so I ended up in the middle of the festival area, except it was completely abandoned, not even the stand owners emerged yet. It was almost on the same level of weird as the not-yet decorated stand that would come to house the person who could speak to Pokémon.

It crept me out, so I kept walking, this time heading to the lab. I was going to be challenging a Pokémon today, and I didn’t have any of the necessary party members or supplies to manage that. I had put on my pack for the first time in months, and the familiar weight shifted with each step I took. Somehow, that was enough for me to feel like a trainer again, though not yet quite the Champion.

I would need to stop by the Pokémart later, too, to stock up on more balls and potions. Whatever items I did have were probably no good, even with their insane expiration dates, or at least not as effective as they could be. This was going to be the first big battle I had had since hunting down Wicker, and even then she hadn’t fought me, just ran until she stood there, almost smiling as I threw the Master Ball her way.

It was early enough that I hadn’t considered whether or not the lab would actually be open. True, the professors lived in the lab’s third floor, but that didn’t mean I could just go and ring their doorbell. Fortunately, though, once I made it through the trees, a light was on in the lab’s lobby, even if the door was still locked. I tried to look around inside but didn’t see anyone, and instead took a chance, knocking on the glass.

For a few minutes, nothing happened, and I was considering giving things up for broke. Short of tossing rocks at the upstairs portion of the lab in hopes that I would end up hitting the professors’ bedroom window—which was not only dangerous but highly improbable given my less than spectacular throwing skills—there wasn’t much I could do, especially not without a flying pokémon. And, well, given that my team was _inside_ the lab, I was essentially up a creek without a Squirtle.

Still, I guessed that persistence was my saving virtue in some ways, so I chanced another knock. This time I was rewarded by Professor Spruce sticking her head out of the back room and managing to see me. I gave a pathetic wave, and she took her time in heading towards the door, but at least she was letting me in. Well, I _hoped_ she was letting me in…

“Arceus dammit, Jijri-bozu, you’re late!” Professor Spruce shouted, the sound ringing true to the core of my eardrums and making me wince. It was probably a good thing that the Lab was offset enough from the rest of the town, otherwise there might have been a public disturbance on our hands. As it was, Professor Maple had to be _hibernating_ not to have been woken up, though there was the chance both professors were up and at it already. The one that was present crossed her arms over her chest. “Man, what’s even wrong with you? I expected you like an _hour_ ago. Where have you been?”

“Um, sleeping?” I lamely offered. Professor Spruce’s stern expression didn’t fade, and I knew that was the wrong answer. Still, what did she expect? I was more impressed that _she_ was awake.

“Is that so?” I could have been wrong, but I would have sworn that in that moment the professor was pouting at me. “Well, I hope you enjoyed your nice and relaxing sleep. I figured that you might have wanted more than a few hours to actually set yourself up with a working team again, so I was waiting for you. Hey, what’s that look for, _Bo-zu_?”

My quirked eyebrow dropped in favor at wincing. Man, she was really going all out on me. “I just didn’t think you would appreciate being woken up too early, so I figured I’d take my time. Sorry for the inconvenience.” The apology was mostly thrown in because I wanted my morning to go smoothly. Luckily, though, it seemed to be the right move.

Professor Spruce didn’t back down, but she didn’t seem to get any more annoyed. That was really all I could ask for right now.

“Well, let’s put that aside for now. I need to know who exactly you’re taking with you so I can make sure they’re ready to go for this evening.” She stepped back into the doorway, waving her hand at me to follow. I complied, trailing her footsteps all the way to the pokéball monitoring area. “I thought you might want your championship team, but you did catch more than a few pokémon while you were hunting down Wicker, so I wasn’t sure if you wanted to switch things up or not.”

Professor Spruce settled down at a computer, pulling up several teams. I realized that they were all composed of my pokémon, and offered a few possibilities I hadn’t considered before. The couple displayed on the screen seemed to only be a small portion of several.

“Um, Professor,” I said, metering out my words carefully, “just how long have you been at this?”

“Enough questions, just give me some parameters.” Professor Spruce deflected my question expertly, clicking through her proposed teams on the screen. “Well, you can ditch these. I figured if you had some training time they’d be good to work with, but you only have until this evening. No dice there. You did check in for training regimens pretty often, though, so these guys are all good. Of course, you could go classic with your Champion Team, plus that Scyther you caught a while ago is a pretty good stand in to have around for catching…”

Professor Spruce dragged a few more team options into a “Not Applicable” list without even waiting for my input. I had only glanced the possibilities, but I trusted her judgement. Awkwardly leaning on the desk to maintain my view, I tried not to hover too much. “Um, may I take a seat, please?”

“Be my guest.”

I managed to find another chair towards a bookshelf on the far wall and wheeled it over to Professor Spruce’s side. She was still swapping between team options, but didn’t seem to have made any more decisions. She frowned, and I stared at the screen, too. I trusted my Pokémon, and those teams would have been able to make it through a fair amount, but I still felt unsure.

“…This would be easier if I knew what kind of Pokémon the Shrine Guardian was,” I mumbled.

Professor Spruce nodded. “Funny. Angela and I set up our lab here because we wanted to research the Shrine Guardian.” I hadn’t known that fact, but I hadn’t even been born when the Professors had originally come here. By the time I grew up, they were a staple of life. “Almost two decades and we haven’t learned anything. It only shows up during the Shrine Ceremony and leaves a blessing. The move is of an unknown type, and then it vanishes. We don’t even have pictures…” She sighed. “There’s not much I can help you with there, Jijri-bozu, sorry.”

“That’s fine.” I gave a few pats to the Professor’s shoulder before snatching my hand back. “Once I catch this thing, you’ll be able to make all sorts of discoveries. Your research won’t go to waste.”

I expected Professor Spruce to snort. She was just that derisive. But she smiled, glancing up at the ceiling where Professor Maple was assumedly resting. “Moving to this town wasn’t a waste. It has a great environment, plus we helped a Champion into his place.” Ah, was she really talking about me there? “You even caught Naleef, which was a huge accomplishment. We wouldn’t have been able to have the progress we have without you.”

“Ah, I…” Why was it I could only stammer like an idiot when eloquence would have done so much better?

“So be sure to catch this thing!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

Professor Spruce straight up laughed. “Ah, that girl really does have you whipped.” I frowned. Fri didn’t have me whipped. I was just perfectly aware of the parameters of our relationship. My actions towards her were born out of respect, nothing else! Professor Spruce hummed. “That being said, you don’t know what’s going to be effective. Having the biggest range of types would be for the best against the Shrine Guardian.”

That was logical. I would probably end up with a few weaknesses mixed in, but my Championship team had been built for type variety. I had at least _something_ that could affect every known type in there. While that didn’t help much against an unknown type, it was better than nothing. It would be another matter if I could research the Shrine Guardian first, but I didn’t want to wait another year at accomplishing this dream. Not just because I would probably finish last, but because I desperately wanted to do this.

_I’m getting pumped._

Professor Spruce seemed to be thinking along the same lines as me. She dismissed the other options, pulling up my Champion team. These guys had done me good, and they would stand by me again. Hopefully they would put on a show that would work up the crowd, too. With the Professors’ rumor spreading, nearly everyone had to know that the Champion was going to attempt to catch the Shrine Pokémon by now.

Just as Professor Spruce was about to set up the call that would bring my team to the main lab, I remembered Wicker’s cry.

I remembered the _something important._

“I gotta take her,” I said.

Professor Spruce paused, pulling her hand back from the mouse. She crossed her arms and turned her chair to face me. Even at this early hour, she looked straight up intimidating. “Take who?”

“Wicker.” Professor Spruce kept her poker face, waiting for my continuation. Ah, how was I gonna explain this one. “She’s an unknown type, too. Maybe she’ll have some advantage against the Shrine Guardian,” I provided, which was only half my reasoning. “Nothing like one legendary to compete against another, right? Plus I—”

Plus I felt like I needed to.

Plus I felt like Wicker was the key.

Plus I _knew_ that Wicker had been part of my dream, the one from before, and that maybe this was the key to figuring it out.

_A way to capture the Shrine Guardian…_

“Alright,” Professor Spruce allowed, not even demanding I finish my thought. “Wicker’s already a high level, so she should be okay. Plus you forged that bond with her because you were worthy; otherwise she wouldn’t be in this lab right now.” For the first time, I actually felt like those words might be true. “Though you’re gonna have to switch her out with someone else and possibly lose an advantage. Who’s it gonna be?”

Wicker’s data card joined the screen, right above the rest of my team. I had swiped up a Leafeon as my grass type of choice, and Wicker had a few grass moves in addition to her unknown typing. Swapping them out was probably the easiest and most logical choice, and I was sure Professor Spruce would agree. She waited for me to make my own decision, though, silence falling over the lab.

“Just Wicker.”

“I’m sorry?”

Professor Spruce scrunched her face up like she had just gotten a bear hug from a Garbodor. I didn’t think she was particularly mad about me putting her data to waste—ah, that was actually more of a thin hope than anything else. I promised myself to put her team data to use when I actually started my duties as champion. Assuming I lived that long.

“Okay, I know it’s dumb,” I started.

Professor Spruce growled, “You bet it is.” I conceded the floor to her wrath for the moment. “Taking one Pokémon with you is pretty much a guaranteed white out, Jijri. No one will blame you if you can’t catch the Shrine Guardian, but I know you don’t want to lose this chance. Waiting a whole extra year…”

“I know, I _know_.” I really did know. “But during my journey, I had a sense of certainty to me. What direction I would go, which Pokémon I would catch, the names I would give them. These things just came to me, the same way I built my team and battled.”

It sounded like a load of hooey, but that was really what it had been like. I had made a few mistakes because of that certainty like poor move choices and overbuying items I didn’t need, but it was a feeling I never fought. It went beyond confidence into sheer conviction.

“Are you telling me this is one of those moments?” Professor Spruce rested her head on her hand. She didn’t look furious, but her pout was definitely grumpy. It was hard to believe she easily had two decades of experience over me.

“Not at all.”

I hadn’t felt any of that certainty since after I had returned home from catching Wicker. That was part of why I had stayed inside so much. Why I hadn’t done anything. I had used that conviction as my drive, as the motivation in my whole journey. After I caught Wicker, it had disappeared, and all I had been left with was my own decisions.

“It’s a different feeling, but it’s definitely there,” I said, pressing my palm into my chest. My heartrate thudded against my sternum. “I like to think I have a bit of instinct from all my travels. And I just _know_: if I don’t take only Wicker with me, I’m not going to have a chance.”

Professor Spruce stared at me. No, she stared straight _through_ me. But:

“Funny. I have the same feeling you do,” she said.

Slack-jawed, I had nothing to say to that.

“Alright,” Professor Spruce said, putting aside my Championship team, leaving Wicker’s profile on screen. “She might still be sleeping, but I’m sure she’ll be glad to head out with you.” She smacked my shoulder, leaving me with the sensation that the joint had just been dislocated. “Why don’t you go ahead and go get some supplies while I get her ready? You’ll be good to go within an hour.”

Giving my thanks, I headed out, navigating the trees to the Pokémart.

I dropped my trainer card at the checkout, tumbling to the counter. It had honestly taken me that long to realize she hadn’t called me _bozu_.

* * *

Out of consideration for the ceremony preparation, I headed to the Shrine shortly after collecting my supplies. As per tradition on Ceremony Day, guests were only allowed to visit the Shrine for paying their respects, and that was it. A group of vest-wearing festival staff members directed traffic expertly. This was the last time that people would be able to come in until the Ceremony itself, so traffic was steady. Figuring that I could use a bit of luck myself, I queued up and waited my turn.

Maybe it wasn’t the smartest job to ask Guardian you were going to attempt to catch for its blessing, but I did it anyways.

I had noticeably poor taste.

That being done, I slipped towards the committee area, trying to see just what the heck I was expected to do. Fri had taken care of all the prep, but she had failed to tell me my role. I mean, yes, I knew what I had to do as a trainer, but where that fit into the Ceremony as a whole was beyond me.

A few staff members quickly caught sight of me, mentioned that Fri was off finishing up some final business, and told me to be back at the Shrine at least an hour before ceremony time. It looked like I was going to have to change to be able to participate, which was honestly the least hassle. In the end, Wicker was going to be the one doing the hard work.

Nervousness slid down my throat like a slime-coated Rattata.

I tried my best to swallow it and spent the rest of the day hanging around Errat and the Noda family, staying as far out of their way as possible.

* * *

“You look pretty dashing in that,” Professor Maple said as she stepped into the back room of the temple.

I nodded out of courtesy and tried to smooth down my hair. Fri had been as prepared as always, and the male devotee outfit of our shrine fit me perfectly, even though I had never touched a set of hakama in my life. Too bad my pack ruined the cleric image. Not directly participating in the Ceremony, Professor Maple got away with wearing a short-sleeved, long-skirted dress. I was grateful, since seeing my advisor in miko garb would have been a bit much for me.

“Are you still nervous?” she asked, and I nodded again. It seemed that our chat at the lab waterfront hadn’t been forgotten. Professor Maple winked. “Well, if it makes you feel better, Lucille is greeting our guests right now, so she might not make it.”

Knowing that Professor Spruce wouldn’t be immediately present did help, but I didn’t need to admit that. She had helped a lot in the morning, that was for sure, but she always managed to throw me off guard. But, “Your guests? You mean the people that can talk to Pokémon?”

It was Professor Maple’s turn to nod. “It seems they got held up quite a bit before, but they did arrive safely. Lucille is making sure they can find their booth and get settled into their lodgings. It’s quite the long trip.”

“Where are they from, anyway?”

“Unova.”

Overseas, then. “Well, maybe I’ll check in with them,” I said. “I mean, if I have both Wicker and the Shrine Guardian, then that’ll make for an interesting conversation, right?”

Professor Maple laughed a little. “If you’re skeptic, you don’t have to hide it.” I attempted to hide my face in my collar (it didn’t work), and her ring glittered as Professor Maple hid her latest burst of laughter behind her hand. “I hope they don’t disappoint you, though. I’d certainly like their help with our research if possible.”

“Huh, I guess that would be helpful, wouldn’t it?” Who better to ask for information about Pokémon than the Pokémon themselves? Maybe it would help sort out Wicker’s unknown type alignment. “Though I’m honestly not so sure I can catch this thing…”

Professor Maple’s mirth dispersed as she placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Instead, I faced her belief. “Jijri, you’ve already accomplished a lot,” she said, voice perfectly steady. “No one will think less of you if you can’t catch the Shrine Guardian, but you’ll be happy if you succeed. That’s what you should focus on and nothing else.”

I would be happy if I succeeded? That was a bit of an understatement. But she was right. Beyond everything else, this had been my dream since childhood, beyond becoming the Champion, beyond anything else I had done on my journey. This. This was me.

That conviction to guide me or no, this was _my determination._

“Professor, Champion, it’s time.”

I tried to protest being called by that title, but Professor Maple headed the summons too smoothly for me to interject. The Festival Staff member wished me luck as we stepped outside and shut the door behind us. Following the wooden porch around the building to the front of the Shrine, we stopped to the side of the Shrine platform. Simple wooden stairs lead the way up to where I would soon face against the Shrine Guardian. The sky was a hazy rendition of pastel purple. A crowd was gathered all the way to the Shrine entrance, but they were all pristinely quiet.

Giving me one last smile, Professor Maple ascended the stairs.

Her heels clicked against the wooden platform until she came to a stop in the center. She faced the crowd, and the last whispers faded away when she cleared her throat.

“Everyone, thank you for attending our festival this year,” she said, voice projecting clearly into the evening. I had seen similar speeches year after year, but this time I was on the sidelines, not in the audience. “As you know, we hold this yearly celebration in honor of our Shrine Guardian, the legendary Pokémon that has protected this town for decades, even more. While I was not born here, I have lived in this town long enough that I consider it my home, and the Guardian my own. In the spirit of this Festival, I wish to thank our Guardian for keeping this town, myself, and my family safe, and ask for its blessing in the coming year. Thank you for your protection.”

“_Thank you for your protection,_” came the whispered voice of the crowd. I had spoken, too, even though my hands were shaking.

“This year marks a special occasion,” Professor Spruce continued, “as one of our trainers has completed the challenge of the Pokémon League and has become our region’s new Champion.” Thanks to the dense coverage of trees, no one could really see me, but I still felt the pressure of being stared at. “Due to this, the Festival Committee and the Shrine caretakers have granted him the opportunity to challenge the Shrine Guardian in hopes that they will form a bond and bless our town further.”

Was that the rationale Fri had come up with to make this seem like a good idea? I seriously owed her more than just a festival date and a Pancham plush. She made my efforts look like a piece of crap in comparison.

It at least seemed to appease everyone. Or at least no one protested to my actions. That was a good time.

“As such, we ask that no one interferes in the challenge that is to take place.” While her tone had carried an air of reverence before, Professor Maple now addressed the crowd with authority. “Jijri is a Champion and is capable of facing this on his own merit. Beyond that, we further ask that you remain silent until the end of the ceremony out of consideration and respect. Thank you very much.”

Professor Maple clacked her way back towards me, and I offered her a hand as she descended the stairs to ground level. The full ceremony already beginning, neither of us spoke a word. On the opposite set of stairs the shrine maiden ascended to the platform.

My hand fell slack to my side.

Fri’s long hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck. The shrine lanterns projected flickers of firelight onto her calm expression. Her hands were hidden behind the sleeves of her haori, the sleeves dangling in unison in front of her. Her hakama glided with each step she took.

“Oh, spirit of harmony and protection,” she proclaimed.

I forgot how to breathe.

“We ask that you once again bless our home and bring us prosperity,” Fri chanted, her voice ringing into the rustles of the trees. Faint traces of summer wind slid across the stage. “We seek your protection and we provide your our respect and faith. We hope to stand in harmony and coexistence once more, for this year and those to come.”

The music started, a slow but pure melody plucked out on strings from inside the Shrine itself. Fri moved, along with the two assistant maidens I had completely passed up behind her. Given their garb, the dance wasn’t too complicated, but it did involve a fair amount of spins and grace. I had seen it every year of my life, but this was the first time I recognized its beauty and subtlety. I tried to convince myself it was part of growing up.

Fri hadn’t just become the coordinator for the Shrine Ceremony; she _owned_ it. How one person could pull so much off at once was beyond me.

_After I catch the Shrine Guardian, I’m—_

The strings abruptly cut off as Fri’s fellow shrine maidens froze. Only Fri stepped forward, inching towards the Shrine itself. I recognized my time was coming, but that thought barely scraped the surface of my thoughts. Within a foot of the Shrine, Fri stopped and bowed into a perfect right angle.

“Our Guardian, we ask for your presence so that our bond may grow once more.” Fri could have whispered those words, but I felt like she had whispered them in my ear. Time froze, and I clutched Wicker’s Pokéball at my side, ready to step forward when urged, when the light flashed across the night to signal the start of our blessing.

Silence remained.

Fri didn’t move, her eyes slammed shut.

I stayed, waiting, with nerves and baited breath.

Our legend, the Pokémon that always appeared—it hadn’t arrived at all.


	8. File Seven: Conflict Point

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

File Seven: Conflict Point

* * *

As Professor Maple had said, the Shrine Guardian had protected our town for generations. No matter the circumstances of weather, performance, or state of the region. Even if there was a national crisis happening, the Shrine Guardian would appear so long as someone called on it. That was what made it our reliable guardian, our town’s very own legend.

This sort of thing was unprecedented.

Professor Maple rushed up to the stage and calmed the crowd. I wasn’t sure how. I couldn’t really listen at the moment. I stared at Fri, and she stayed frozen before the Shrine, as if remaining in place would somehow summon the Guardian. Her assistant shrine maidens tried to pull her away, but Fri didn’t budge. After a few minutes she sank down to the ground, forehead touching the platform.

A complete prostration.

Somewhere in my dazed state I was pulled back into the Shrine, the same room that Professor Maple and I had waited in before. Several Festival Committee members were gathered, and someone had managed to drag Fri back inside. Hushed whispers filled the room. I snuck over to Fri’s side and put a hand on her arm.

Up close, she looked even worse. She hadn’t cried yet, but her eyes were already red, and I could just now see the streaks of sleeplessness that I had missed during our date. No matter how Fri pushed herself, she never seemed run-down. I knew she couldn’t go full-blast without breaks, but this was too much. Fri deserved to look confident and triumphant, not like she was fighting to stay standing.

“Hey,” I whispered, slipping close to her side. In the commotion, no one seemed to notice. “Don’t be hard on yourself for this.” Fri looked at me, but didn’t say anything. “You were amazing. The preparation, the performance, _everything_. Fri, this festival couldn’t have happened without you. So this isn’t your fault.”

“…s yo…”

“Hm?” I prodded. Fri’s words mushed together. “I know I’m close, but you’re gonna have to be a bit louder if you want me to hear anything…”

“I said that it’s your fault.”

Fri spoke in a calm, authoritative tone. The past few days she had been happy to see me. Before that, she had been beyond upset. Now, I just had a cold anger directed in my direction. Worse, Fri’s voice carried throughout the entire room, bringing everyone’s whispers to a halt. Despite being the Champion, I wasn’t used to being the center of attention.

“You’re the one that said you wanted to challenge the Shrine Guardian,” Fri continued, fists clenching at her sides. She hadn’t pushed me, but I still stepped back. “I never thought about it before, because I wanted to support you, but of course this would happen. What sort of guardian would want to show up when it would just have someone try to catch it? Were you even thinking about what would happen if you just took our Guardian and _left_ with it?”

“Of course I thought of it!” I retorted, clutching onto my pack. I wouldn’t pull out Wicker in a place like this, but just feeling the texture helped keep me in focus. “I thought about it long and hard. But no one ever said anything against it. You even went through the Elders and they okayed it. Don’t act like this just falls on me.”

Fri scoffed. “You’re avoiding the point,” she said. “What were you planning on doing with the Guardian? Just catching it to say you could? To prove a point? What’s so special about this damn thing to you? Don’t you have enough Pokémon already? One Legend wasn’t enough for you? You really need more?”

“What about you?” I couldn’t just sit here and talk crap about me, not when she had been pushing at my back this whole time. As if I wasn’t hurt by this too! “What’s the point in you becoming the head of the Festival Committee? I mean, you’re already pretty much in charge, right? There’s no difference, right?” I clicked my tongue. “Don’t talk to me about pointless dreams. You’re just the same as me.”

“Like hell I am!” Fri’s voice echoed in the room, and one of her fellow shrine maidens flinched back. I hadn’t felt this intimidated since my showdown with the former Champion, but I didn’t back down. “I work hard, Jijri. I did all this. I did this for you! But I guess the Shrine Guardian doesn’t wanna take the chance of getting caught by a lazy bum like you—”

_Smack!_

Professor Maple stepped between us, lowering her hands from their clap. “That’s enough, you two,” she commanded. Fri stepped back and tried to recover a few quavering breaths; I averted my eyes to the ground like a scolded child. “This evening didn’t go the way any of us expected, but we cannot point fingers any which way we chose. I know this event was important to you, but we can’t change what’s happened here.” How the hell could she sound so calm about this? I straight up wanted to cry. “Fri, Jijri. I want both of you to go home and rest, do you understand me? No complaints.”

Her voice carried a tone of absolute finality. Not even my mother had ever sounded like that.

With a mumbled “Yes, Professor” from the both of us, Fri and I stepped from the room to change from our ceremony clothes.

* * *

Getting out of my haori was a lot easier than getting into it, and I changed in a matter of minutes. Leaving the outfit for the shrine staff to take care of, I rushed towards the entrance. Most of the crowd from the ceremony was gone, and Festival Committee members swept the area. With the artificial lights turned on instead of just the flames from before, the Shrine yard looked like a completely different place.

Trying not to get pulled aside by anyone, I booked it to the entrance. Normally the Shrine would stay open for visitors to come and collect blessings fresh after the Ceremony, but the Elders had decided to close down early given recent events. It was kind of hard to want to pay homage to a shrine when you knew its guardian wasn’t there.

Smacking stomach acid out of my mouth, I took up vigil outside the Shrine entrance. Fri had performed damn beautifully; it was no wonder she was frustrated from the outcome. My fist clenched, and I made an effort to unwind my fingers. I was frustrated, too, but I couldn’t yell at her again. Despite everything, I liked her. I liked her a lot. If I couldn’t try to make it through this, I had no business thinking up dumb promises of what I would do after accomplishing one dream.

_Catching the Shrine Guardian. I know I was a kid, but honestly how stupid can you get?_

What Fri had accused me of was true. I hadn’t thought of what would happen to our town once if I caught the Shrine Guardian. Professor Maple had said the hope was to strengthen the bond between it and our town, but would that really happen? Even as the Champion, I had no business messing in stuff like that. I couldn’t just catch the damn thing then let it wander off. There wasn’t a point in catching it then. What the hell had I been trying to accomplish?

I was so caught up in my pity party that I almost didn’t notice Fri exiting the Shrine. She walked right past me, not even pausing as she headed down the path of trees towards her house. I took a few steps after her but stopped. If that wasn’t a clear indication that I wasn’t invited, I wasn’t sure I’d find a better one.

My house was in the opposite direction anyways.

Not that I walked towards it.

I couldn’t handle being alone right now. And definitely not in that house. Facing my childhood after this wasn’t the best idea. I couldn’t bother Errat right now since the Noda family stand ran until the festival shut down around midnight, but I could wander until then. Pulling the Master Ball off my belt, I let Wicker out into the night. She landed, tense for battle, then tilted her head up at me when she didn’t see an enemy. “Naaa?”

“Sorry, girl,” I said, throwing up a pointless smile. “I know I got you all ready, but there’s nothing to fight.”

Wicker let out a concerned cry, rubbing against my leg. I kneeled down to pat her head, and she nuzzled into my hand. Her bark scraped against my palm, but I didn’t mind. “I promise I’ll let you have a battle soon.” Maybe once I got over how pathetic I felt. “But why don’t I show you around the festival? You’ve been at the lab the whole time, so you haven’t seen anything.” I stood back up and patted my shoulder. Wicker bent her legs and leapt straight up in one bound. Her feet scrambled to find purchase against my shoulder, and I helped to steady her. “All balanced?”

“Naa!”

“Let’s go then.”

My nerves had done a number on my stomach so I hadn’t eaten before the Ceremony, but now I was just starving, so I headed to the food stalls first. Wicker perked up once the rush of fresh smells hit our noses, chirping in an attempt to give me directions. She nearly stumbled off my shoulder on a few occasions, but we managed to pick up some food alright. There were more than a fair share of Pokémon food stalls mixed in with the regular ones, so I let Wicker lead the way, being sure to avoid the Noda folks in the process.

I didn’t feel like showing Errat how lame I was yet. Besides, he was my friend. Wicker had the chance to eat Noda food the rest of the year.

Fresh baked Poké-Puffs in tow (Wicker had chosen her own assortment) and some barbeque on a stick for me, we tucked back into the trees for somewhere to sit down. The festival areas had plenty of seating, but those tended to be crowded. It wasn’t uncommon for locals to sneak into the trees to settle down. It was just like when I had been on the road, and me, Fri, and Errat had done the same thing as kids.

Back when we were kids…

Wicker stopped mid Poké-Puff to nuzzle against my arm. A group of kids about Fuji’s age laughed as they ran through the trees, glow stick jewelry setting of streaks of mismatched color. I swallowed the last two bites of my barbeque, twirling the stick between my fingers. “You almost done there?” I asked. “There’s more to this place than the food.”

Wicker tilted her head, then stuffed her nose straight back into her blue Poké-Puff. We had bought quite a bit, so I worked on stuffing the remainders into my pack while she finished. Once done, Wicker jumped straight up on my head, her hooves digging into the brim of my hat. She kept her balance when I stood up, so I just let her sprawl out there and resumed my wandering.

We headed into the games area next. Beyond the ones for people, there were a fair number of games that could accommodate both trainers and their Pokémon, or even just the Pokémon themselves. I offered Wicker the chance to play, but she seemed content resting in my hat, so we passed them by. Then again, maybe letting a legendary into festival games was a bit cheap…

Once we got towards the miscellaneous entertainment stands, Wicker chirped more. This being the finale night of the Festival, the crowds were in full swing, but nobody bothered to call me out for my poor Ceremony job or my chatty Pokémon. There was so much noise from the crowds that I could barely hear her anyway.

Following Wicker’s prompts, we scoured over a lot of the merchant’s stalls. Wicker was content to just look, which was all good because buying her a gift would have the rest of my team looking for something, too. I would have to figure something out to thank everyone for their hard work, but now wasn’t the time.

Heading into the entertainment stalls we passed by Wato’s cousin’s booth. In its finished state it seemed to be a fortune teller of some kind, with Wato’s impressive paintjob sporting the banner. Thankfully the lab assistant wasn’t around. I didn’t think I could take his look of disappointment after all the idolization he had given me before. Wicker urged me on before I could start to think too hard.

Like the food stalls before, she was adamant in which direction I went. Unlike the food stalls, she wasn’t taking no for an answer. I had to fight the crowds a little bit, but I cut across the isles. Trajectory set, I could see just which stall Wicker had her eyes on.

“There’s no point in going to that one,” I said, the still blank banner head sticking out like a sore thumb. Professor Maple had said their guests had arrived, but at this point in the Festival it was kinda late. Sure, there was still tomorrow, but maybe my pessimism was because everything felt like it was over for me. “There’s not gonna be anything there.”

“Leef!” Wicker insisted, biting at the rim of my hat once I tried to fit back into the flow of the crowd. “Leeeeeef!”

Well, it looked like no wasn’t an answer. “Fine, fine, just leave the hat be.” I waved at Wicker’s nose, and she retracted her mouth. As an herbivore, she didn’t have the teeth to do much damaged, but I liked to keep my mom’s hat in as one piece as possible. “But I’m telling you they’re gonna be cl—”

Wicker leapt straight onto the counter, almost sounding like she was laughing. No longer was the stall in its plain state. Most of the wood had been covered with what looked like dark green curtains, a sign behind noting the prices per Pokémon. Considering the potential of talking to your team, it was a pretty cheap price, especially at volume. The outside hadn’t been decorated, but with the crowds, that would be tricky to pull off. Leaning over the counter to get a closer look, I nearly knocked heads with a girl as she stood up.

I recoiled, and Wicker swiftly hopped away from the flailing. The girl stood up, keeping her calm, holding a sign between her hands. She was dressed in simple black and white, though the green of her eyes stuck out against her dark hair. She put on an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but we’re still closed,” she said, propping the sign on the counter, which read the same thing. “We’re still putting together the back so we’re not gonna open until tomorrow.”

“Na Naleef,” Wicker protested. The girl patted Wicker’s head, being careful to avoid her twig antlers. Wicker looked perfectly pleased. “Leef naaaa.”

“Oh, you’re adorable, aren’t you?” Wicker soaked up the attention. Did she really just drag me over here to get pet by a stranger? Still tending to Wicker, the girl looked to me again. Her eyes widened, and I wondered how fast I’d be able to get away if she caused a scene. “You’re this Pokémon’s trainer, aren’t you?” I nodded. “How’d you meet her?”

“Huh?” The girl only smiled, urging me on. Man, I had to tell this embarrassing story again? “Well, she’s a Naleef, a legend. She only allows people to catch her that show determination and…I basically just followed her around until she let me catch her.”

“Na!” Wicker chimed, nodding her approval. The girl gave my Pokémon a few last pats before moving her hand away.

“So in order to be caught she has to want to?” That was the gist of it. The girl tapped a finger to her chin, her smile growing. “Why don’t you come inside then? Even if we’re not completely set up, I think Natural will want to meet a trainer like you.”

I spluttered a few incomprehensive syllables. The girl undid a latch, opening up a small door in the front of the booth I hadn’t even noticed. Some Festival Committee member I was. The girl stepped to pull back the curtain, revealing an opening. I tried again to protest, but Wicker hopped down to the ground and trotted inside like she belonged there. Growling to myself, I stepped into the booth, shut the gate behind me, and followed my Pokémon.

The inside was about as wide as the stall in front, but it stretched back for quite a bit. It seemed to be completely enclosed, too, lamps lining the ceiling. You had to hand it to those Festival guys; as long as you didn’t have too many massive members, I could easily see a whole team fitting in here, especially where the space opened up in the back. Without decoration, it still managed to hold a sense of ambience.

Wicker didn’t share my awe and raced down the plain hallway with abandon. The light from outside disappeared, and I glanced back to see the stand girl tugging the curtain closed. She waved me forward and I did just that. There was the sound of scuffling further in the back, and on my arrival I found a tall boy struggling to hang up a dark blue curtain across the wall, Wicker hopping around his heels.

“Wicker, you’re gonna trip him,” I scolded.

“Leef na!”

“It’s alright,” the boy said lightly, finally stapling the curtain to the wall. The other half of the room needed work, but so did all the furniture scattered about. Wicker continued to nudge at the boy’s leg, and his green ponytail bounced as he kneeled down to her level. “You’re just excited to meet someone new, aren’t you?’

“Naaa!”

“Then that makes you the Champion.”

I winced. Busted already? Then again, these people were supposed to be friends with the Professors, so they _would_ recognize me. The girl slipped around me, her bell skirt bouncing as she skipped to the boy’s side. “Yeah,” I admitted. “That’s me.”

“I’m Nochi,” the girl chimed in. The weird look she had given me earlier had vanished from her expression. “Sorry for skipping out on introductions.” She tapped her green-haired companion’s shoulder. “This is Natural.”

“Though N is fine,” he corrected. I nodded. It wasn’t the weirdest name I had ever heard. These guys were from out of the region anyway.

“Then call me Jijri,” I offered. Getting called Champion didn’t sit well with me on a good day. Today only made it worse. “And my Naleef there is Wicker. Though you seem pretty well acquainted already.”

N smiled. “She wanted to talk to me. Said that she’d heard about me.” For a moment, I had forgotten just what these guys were supposed to do. Though she hadn’t made as much noise as she had outside, Wicker was apparently pretty chatty when you could hear her. Wicker continued to rub against N’s hand, not protesting his interpretation.

I looked to Nochi for some sort of confirmation, but she only shook her head. “Sorry, I’m just the receptionist here,” she said. “Natural can understand any Pokémon without trying, though. I’ve seen it plenty of times, so I know it’s a fact.” Ah, she had expected my skepticism. Or maybe I was being obvious about it. “I guess you can’t just take my word for it, huh…?”

“Ah.” I stumbled, not even able to get the apology out. Neither of the Pokémon interpreter pair seemed to be too offended by it, though. “Wicker,” I called, waving her over to my side. She complied within moments, and I offered my arms for her to jump in. “They don’t seem like bad people. But I gotta know if you trust them or not.”

Wicker nodded, her leafs rustling with the movement. “Leef leef na!” she chirped. “Naleef na-na!”

“Yeah, yeah, I gotcha.”

Wicker’s entire legend was about determining if a trainer was worthy or not of catching her. Though I still found my own selection questionable, I figured she at least had enough sense not to trust people that were doing something sketchy.

“Thank you,” N said, and I realized he was addressing Wicker. “I’m honored to have the defense of one f the legends of this region.” Now if only I had gotten that from the Shrine Guardian, too. “You seemed like you wanted to tell Jijri here. Is it important?”

“Naaa!” Wicker cried, and my ears almost hurt from that one. I tried to pat her head in a hope to sooth her. At least she wasn’t struggling.

N frowned. “I see.” Um, what had she just said? “Nochi, would you mind helping me set up the chairs? I haven’t quite gotten to that part of the room yet.”

“On it!” Nochi headed into one of the piles of supplies, soon dragging out a rather plush looking armchair. It was a mystery if they had brought it with them or gotten it on loan from someone. N followed behind and produced a small, round table. I stood around and awkwardly watched. By the time I thought to offer help, they had already assembled three similar seats around the table, two of them touching at the armrests. Nochi sat in one and beamed as N took the seat beside her.

That left the remaining armchair opposite of the table for me.

Sitting down trained a lot of the physical tension from my body, but I couldn’t relax yet, no matter how easy sleeping would be. I loosened my hold on Wicker so she could settle in my lap. She sat, but didn’t lie down, bark ears perked up.

“So,” I tried, “what exactly did she say? She wanted to talk to me?” No matter how you sliced it, I had only been Wicker’s trainer for two weeks, and I had done a pretty crummy job at that. There was no way I could understand her fully on my own yet, even if it would have been nice. N rested his arms across their designated rests, not helping my nerves. Nochi sat at rapt attention, eyes on him. “Um, did I do something wrong?” Maybe Wicker was having second thoughts about letting me catch her.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” N said. His serious expression made it hard to erase my worries, though. “Forgive me, but I’ve never had a high opinion of trainers.” I flinched, and even Nochi looked a bit guilty. “I’ve used the help of many Pokémon in the past, so I can’t completely condone trainers’ actions. And not too long ago, I met a trainer that turned my expectations of them around.

“I now know that not every trainer is forcing their Pokémon to stay by their side. I know now that Pokémon can be happy, even if they are not ‘free’ in the purest sense.” I swallowed. Our little town had always been close to the Pokémon around them, and all trainers showed absolute respect for their Pokémon.

The second I thought it, I grimaced. No, not all trainers, if you could even use the term for them.

N smiled, though it definitely didn’t light up his face. “I take it you know what I mean,” he said.

“Yeah.”

“There are those who would use Pokémon for their own gain. It’s sad, but it’s fact. And while I want to trust that someone who worked to become the Champion couldn’t possibly have any ill intentions, I need to know for myself.” N leaned forward, keeping his grey eyes on mine. “Jijri, are you capable of proving yourself to me?”

“Natural,” Nochi whispered, looking at me warily. Since the festival noise outside was dulled by well-done construction work, I could easily hear her. “I think you should. Naleef wouldn’t be with him otherwise. He’s like they were. Like T—”

N’s smile cut the girl off. This one was benign, and I felt embarrassed just watching them. “I feel that way, too,” he said. “But I need to know for certain.” N locked eyes with me again, his gaze more intense than a trainer encounter. “Jijri, is that something you can do for me?”

True to my battle instincts, I didn’t look away. “I don’t know what you’re expecting out of me,” I returned, “but if Wicker’s concerned for me, I’ll absolutely try. For her sake. I’ll try as many times as it takes.” After everything I had done so far, it couldn’t be that hard. “So, if you’ll accept my blind determination, then, yes, I can prove it.”

We held our little staring contest for several minutes. Wicker shifted in my lap, and Nochi fidgeted in my periphery. Finally, N relaxed back into his chair, giving me a pleased look. “That’s enough,” he said, eyes flickering down. “Heh. I keep trying, but people are impossible to read. Numbers are much simpler.”

Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult? Nochi patted N’s shoulder, so I let it slide. “You’ll tell me, then?” I probed.

“Of course.” Nochi let out a small sigh of relief, and Wicker continued her vigil from my lap. N cleared his throat and pointed towards Wicker. “She’s been trying to talk to you because she’s worried about you. She thinks that you’re in danger.”

“Danger?” What else could possibly go wrong in this region? Wasn’t one crisis enough? Then again, as the Champion, I’d probably see my fair share of troubles in the future. Was my next trouble really so soon? “What kind of danger?”

Wicker stood straight up in my lap, her hooves pinching right through my pants and into my legs. She opened her mouth and let out a cry, the same sad and quiet note she had let out so many times when I was with her on the lab grounds. N’s expression drooped, and even Nochi looked depressed from the sound.

N opened his mouth, shut it, thought a moment, and decided on the best way to translate her words:

“She says you’ve been left behind.”


	9. File Eight: Data Corrupt

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

File Eight: Data Corrupt

* * *

I had been left behind many times in my life. My father left shortly after the divorce without ever making an effort to stay connected with me. My mother had passed away the year before I started my journey, despite the trips to the hospital and medical expert’s attempts. The Shrine Guardian had clearly given up on me, too, so that was another line on the list. Plus Fri wasn’t going to have my back anytime soon, either. I was pretty alone at this point.

I was also pretty used to it, honestly. Not in that I expected it as the outcome, but in that I could take it when it hit me.

Too bad N’s translation made me feel a whole lot like I was about to puke up that festival food I had eaten earlier. At least there hadn’t been a floor left in, and the contents of my stomach would just hit the ground, so long as I avoided the table and chair. Lots easier to clean up than a stain.

N’s eyebrows dropped in concern, and Nochi hopped to her feet. I raised a hand to mouth, taking shaky breaths into my palm. Wicker’s nose nudged at my chin, but she didn’t stop crying out notes, just smaller and quieter. I swallowed to keep my potential vomit at bay and looked back to N. “What’s she saying?”

N narrowed his eyes further. “She’s worried for you.” Ah, I figured that much out. “She thinks that there’s trouble because you’re not being…guided anymore?” He paused for Wicker to nod. _Guided?_ “At least right now. What you’re aiming for can’t be accomplished alone.”

I frowned and managed to sit upright, my stomach sloshing to a settle. The Shrine Guardian then? What did Wicker know about the Shrine Guardian? Did legendary Pokémon have conferences or something? Lunch over tea and berries?

“She also says you’re not feeling well, and I agree,” N continued. Too bad I couldn’t just will the look of queasiness away. That would be too convenient. I even felt shaky. “Do you need help to a medical tent? Or to go lie down?” He glanced around the room. “We don’t have anything here, but I could take you somewhere.”

“I think he needs a little fresh air,” Nochi interjected, stepping forward, though she stopped a few steps short of standing by my armchair. “This isn’t the breeziest space.” N surveyed ceiling. Their mystic atmosphere was definitely lacking in any windows. “Why don’t you step outside for a bit?”

I nodded, working my way into a stand. Wicker hopped to the table, twirling around to face me with a whimper. N stood as well.

“I can come with you,” he offered. “I think it would be better if you had someone—”

Nochi held up her arm as a barrier, though her fingertips didn’t even come close to providing any blockage. At best she was showing off their taste in furniture. N could have easily side-stepped her, but he remained still. “I’ll go,” the girl said, giving N a sidelong glance as she propped her free hand on her hip. “You’ll just get distracted out there, and we need this place set up by morning. I can’t reach the higher places like you can.”

It was sound logic: Nochi easily stood a whole head under N, if not more. Making her hang up those curtains alone probably wasn’t the best move, plus it looked like there was still a lot of furniture tucked in that side corner. N glanced around the room once before slumping his shoulders.

“You’re right again, Nochi,” he relented, toying with the brim of his hat. I adjusted my own, the rim still damp from Wicker’s earlier assault. “I’ll take care of the big stuff, and you can help me perfect the display equation afterwards!”

Nochi flashed a thumbs up with a giggle. “You know it!”

I looked back to Wicker. The small Pokémon blinked at me, and I wondered what else she had to say. She didn’t seem to be happy now that she’d passed on her message, but she wasn’t speaking anymore, either. It was hard to gauge. “Why don’t you take a rest?” I said, reaching for her the Master Ball. She gave me one last “Naa” before being returned. I returned her ball to my pack and turned to Nochi. “Ladies first.”

“What a charmer,” she snickered. Yeah, not commenting on that one. “Let’s get you into some air before you keel over, okay?”

No complaints from me. I stepped around the table, prepared to head back through the suspenseful corridor, but Nochi headed to the wall already covered in curtains. She tugged one back, revealing a door. I jogged up to the newly opened exit, inhaling the fresh breeze.

As I had predicted, the back room was stretched out behind several other festival stalls. There was enough space to give other stalls room for extra operations still, lending to the long length of hallway connecting to the back. It seemed practicality was at play, and not just atmosphere. As someone who had worked with the Festival Committee, it was kinda shameful that I hadn’t known about this structure. Then again, I had only been involved for a day, so my transaction wasn’t that bad.

_I have the worst habit of defending myself._

Laughter and conversation bubbled over the tops of the festival stands as Nochi secured the backdoor with a key hanging from her neck. Even so, it was a lot quieter on the backside. What was more impressive was the near soundproof quality inside their stand. Just who developed that architecture anyways?

Nochi tucked the key down the front of her dress and stepped towards the trees, gesturing for me to follow. Not even kids were back in this chunk of trees, though the late hour probably contributed to that. I kept track of Nochi in my peripheral before the star glittered sky disappeared into leafy overhang.

“You grew up here?” Nochi called from several feet ahead.

I turned my attention to the ground, stepping over stray tree roots. “Yeah.”

“It’s very nice here,” she continued, floating back and forth between different trees, fingertips skidding over bark. “You’re close to a lot of nature. If you didn’t know about it, not many people would guess that a town was here.” That’s for sure. When I flew back home, from overhead you could hardly see any of the buildings for the forest, and I _lived_ here.

“You guys didn’t happen to get lost coming in, did you?” I tease.

“Unexpected complications.”

Her clipped response knocks the smirk right off my face. Guess cracks at her sense of direction aren’t appreciated. Nochi’s tone lightens as she asks “What about you?” right back at me. “When you were younger. I’d imagine it would be hard to get around by yourself.”

Considering everyone I know has a story or two from their childhood about when they ended up on the opposite side of town, I’m not too embarrassed to admit it. “It took me a few years to learn most of the paths. I definitely didn’t go outside by myself much. I had to have a friend or an adult with me so I could make it to the right place. Errat wasn’t allowed to go alone, but that’s ‘cause he’d end up playing in the trees instead of getting lost.”

I breathe out a chuckle. Fri was the only one of us with a good enough head on her shoulders at that age. She tended to be the official escort when necessary. She managed to teach Fuji her good sense of direction, too.

“And Errat’s your friend?” Nochi stopped by a tree, turning to face me. With only moonlight flickering through branches, I gave a verbal affirmation. She hummed, leaning against her chosen tree as I caught up to her position. “Did you know that Natural grew up in the woods?”

What kind of jump in conversation was that?

Nochi continued without waiting for a response. “He was left out in the woods and raised by Pokémon for a while. Probably the first six or seven years of his life.” So was that why he could understand Pokémon? He’d grown up with them. “They were his only family for the longest time. This sort of place probably feels more like home to him than anything.” The wistful tone of her voice melted perfectly into the evening, soft Hoothoot calls mingling in the trees.

“Is that how it feels to you?” I asked.

The whites of her eyes caught in a fragment of light. She had her own Deerling in the headlights expression, though Fri’s won in the cuteness department. She looked down, obscuring her face in shadow. “No, that’s not quite it,” she said. “Places like this feel peaceful, but they’re not home, either.” She shrugged, her skirt bouncing in the process. “I…met Natural about a year after he came out of the woods. When I was brought to live with him. He didn’t open up to people well, so they tried bringing in someone his own age.”

It seemed that experiment was a success. That guy had talked so fast I could barely keep up with him. Nochi didn’t say anything more, and I glanced around. We were pretty far from the festival at this point, more than necessary for the claim of getting some “fresh air.”

“You really didn’t have to escort me. I’m feeling fine.” Without Wicker’s worries and N’s gaze on me, I felt a lot calmer. My stomach had even settled down. At this point the worst I had going for me was exhaustion. Professor Maple had been right; I should have gone home straight after the Ceremony. “I mean, thanks and I appreciate it, but you said you guys needed to set up your stand for tomorrow…”

Nochi kept her head down, leaving me without a clue to her expression. It seemed she wasn’t about to take the out I had given her. She inhaled and held it for a few seconds before looking back to me. “I wanted to talk to you.” Before I could protest, she added, “Without Natural. He wouldn’t…really understand.”

Well that didn’t make me feel any better. “About what Wicker said?” I chanced. “Because if anyone can decipher that mess, I think N’s the guy to do it.” I didn’t want to be rude, but something about talking to Nochi like this felt wrong.

Not instinct.

Deeper than that.

A primal feeling.

“You’re the Champion, right?” Nochi burst out, earning my stunned silence. “You went on a journey and collected your badges and saved the region and became the Champion. You even captured a legendary Pokémon!” What was I supposed to do with that sudden rush of my accomplishments? I didn’t even have the time to feel like I didn’t deserve that praise. “You’re the same as he was.”

I cleared my throat and forced the question out: “As who?”

“The Unova Champion.” I hadn’t paid much attention to international leagues, which was probably a bad position to be in as a Champion myself. I had considered that as part of the things I would deal with _after_ I went back to Victory. “Well, former Champion. He retired this year. But he was there when Natural and I needed help.” I could just barely make out the smile sneaking onto her lips. “You’re a lot like him.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“It’s good,” Nochi answered. I waited for the catch. “Well, it can be good. He was wonderful and courageous. Even when I was in his place, I couldn’t compare.” She laughed, a self-depreciating sound I knew well, even if I didn’t get the situation I was in at all. “For you, it was a good thing. Until lately. You had a problem with the Shrine Ceremony, right?” I grimaced. “Sorry. That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

_What sort of guardian would want to show up when it would just have someone try to catch it? Were you even thinking about what would happen if you just took our Guardian and _left_ with it?_

“You don’t have to tell me that!” Tree branches rustled as a wild Pokémon sprinted away from my outburst.

Nochi stood her ground, not even flinching. “That’s not what I meant,” she said evenly. Her nerves were something else. “The sequence of events wasn’t supposed to go this way. The Shrine Guardian _was_ supposed to show up for your challenge. Something happened that caused it to fail to appear. Natural and I were here to celebrate that, but we were also delayed…we encountered an error.”

At this point Nochi was almost muttering to herself. Even if I could hear her words clearly, I doubted they would make much sense. “Not to be rude, but what the hell are you talking about?”

Nochi stood upright, taking a few steps towards me. “Has anything strange happened to you lately?” she asked. I was too stunned by her proximity to point out she had completely avoided the question. “It doesn’t have to be something big. Just any little thing at all.” She took hold of my hand, thin fingers pressing against my palm.

I tried to read her expression in the dim light, but my night vision could only pick out the edges of her set jawline. Had I had anything strange happen to me lately? How about my sudden self-imposed house arrest after I caught Wicker? My dreams? That nagging feeling I was missing something?

_Something important._

“I can help you, Jijri,” Nochi said, almost pleading. “At the very least, I can help you understand. So please.”

I unstuck my tongue from my mouth and did my best to explain. The fear of getting blown off had stopped me from talking to anyone else, but Nochi only took a few steps back and listened. She didn’t interrupt or call me crazy. Just listened.

“I mean, all that weird stuff I can understand,” I panted, wondering just where all my air had run off to. “I was tired and stressed from the Festival. Maybe I needed a break? But like, the first dream. It felt like I _lived through_ that one. I woke up exhausted and everything.”

“What was it like?” Nochi prompted, blending curiosity and concern. “You said the others were like repeats. This one was different?”

I tugged at the collar of my shirt to let in the cooling air. A damp smell of dirt and grass drifted up from the ground. “Completely. In the others, I didn’t even have a body. I was just seeing the Professors, and they would talk over and over. But the first one.” I scoffed a little. “It felt real. Like I really ran for miles only to chase down this weird…I don’t know how to describe it.” At this point, the details were fuzzy, like any other dream, but the sensation in the aftermath hadn’t faded.

Nochi smoothed out the hem of her dress with a concentrated hum. “That might be the error,” she said, like she was locking a puzzle into place. I was the guy on the sidelines who didn’t even have an idea what sort of picture we were supposed to be making. “Try to remember as much as you can from that point. We might be able to—”

“Easy there.”

I jumped at the voice, my spine colliding with a knot on the tree behind me. Nochi jumped, too, except it was much more graceful and put a few feet between her and the newcomer. She reached for her hip, only to find empty air. _Was she going for a Pokéball?_ Trying to follow up on the threat, I reached for Wicker’s own ball.

“Do you really wanna do that?” the newcomer asked, smirking at me. He was dressed in a pure white suit, which looked just as out of place in the middle of the woods as it would have in the festival crowds. His eyes were a bright orange, only matched in oddness by the multiple blue tones in his hair, like someone had dumped mismatched mosaic tiles over his head. No, scratch that, the oddest part was that I could see him clearly, despite the lack of light.

He was _glowing._

Not in the metaphorical sense. In the giving-off-enough-illumination-to-brighten-the-surrounding-area sense. I could even see the little vine patterns on Nochi’s skirt through this guy. It was a wonder my eyes had adjusted so quickly.

My gut twisted just looking at him.

I had thought I had been overreacting to Nochi because of my irritation, but that wasn’t the case. Whoever the hell this guy was, he was the actual bad news. Scanning my newly brightened surroundings for an out, I shuffled back a step.

Countering my attempt at stealth, Nochi bounded forward to stand between me and him, arms spread. She didn’t have a Pokémon with her, but I could recognize someone trying to protect me. She had treated me like a hero, but this girl was the real MPV.

Our phosphorescent guest looked more amused than impressed.

“You think you can help him?” he asked, glancing back to me. I shuddered while Nochi endured his scathing tone. “Seriously? You didn’t even help yourself out of your last mess. You’d still be sitting in Dragonspiral Tower if it weren’t for me.”

“Shut up,” Nochi snapped, all traces of her earlier light tone gone. “I’m not going to let you corrupt him anymore. He’s still in the early phases. Things can be fixed.” She glanced back to me, the shadow of hope in her eyes. “I know I’m broken beyond repair, but you’re not going to touch him, do you understand me?”

The glowing guy shrugged, rolling his neon orange eyes. “Still playing the hero, I see. I thought you knew you’re not fit for that role.” Nochi’s shoulders stiffened, and the guy untucked one of his hands from his pocket.

And pointed it straight at me.

“You see, I don’t have to _touch_ him to get my way.”

I might have said something in return, or maybe that was Nochi. Either way, I couldn’t hear it properly. There was a flash of light, and something _inside_ me sparked—

In other words, I fainted.

* * *

In this particular dream, I didn’t have a body. At this point, I was almost used to it. The odd part was the near silence. By now, one of the Professors would have been asking me questions. All I had was darkness and a slight ringing in my ears. I remained in my suspended state for several minutes until sparks pricked inside me.

I tried to reach for my chest, but nothing moved. There wasn’t anything _to_ move, despite the sensation of an overexcited heard of Zebstrika stampeding through my insides. One spark multiplied to two, then four, multiplying on each other and rippling across what little existence I had before fanning out further.

The darkness flickered before lighting up into a dull grey. Jagged lines of color flashed across my vision, leaving words floating in their wake.

_[Game has encountered an error.]  
[Continue play?]_

A yes-no option appeared, selecting the affirmative without me having to do a thing. White light blossomed from the selection, blocking out my vision. When I opened my eyes again, I was left standing in my bedroom, the weight of my body returned. On top of that, a heavier presence rested in my mind, reminding me that I shouldn’t just be standing around.

_I should check out if the town’s okay._

It was instinct.

I didn’t have to think any farther than that. I didn’t have room to think. I set off down the stairs, pack bouncing at my side. No matter what I might run into, I was ready to face it. The pure amount of confidence having my instinct back in gear gave me let me jump of the porch and set off at a jog down the paths into the trees.

_The event was supposed to be at the Shrine._

Even without guidance I could get around town with my eyes closed. From my house, I needed to head east, then keep along the south side of town to end up at the shrine. Wild Pokémon rustled in the trees, the paths bathed in sunshine. A day like this was perfect for travel. With this much determination inside me, I could even see myself hunting down some Pokémon in the edges of the region once I was done in town.

Making the turn to the farther edge of town, I stopped. The path up to this point had been fine, and I hadn’t made any weird moves. I blinked, turning around and checking my surroundings. Somehow, I had ended up by Errat’s house near the center of town. Mixie sat on the front porch, scribbling recipe ideas in her notebook. Catching sight of me, she waved, and I waved back before heading back towards the south end.

I should have passed the Noda restaurant, but instead I ended up closer to the Professors’ Lab. They were on the far northwest side, a good five minutes’ jog, but I had made it there within a matter of seconds. Repressing a growl of frustration, I went east, popping up towards the Pokémon center closer to my house.

_What’s going on here?_

Even for a dream, this mix up was more than a bit much. Surely my subconscious wasn’t as torn up as to make me forget how my hometown was arranged. Heck, the whole mess would have been cool if the jumps in direction actually got me where I was trying to go.

Following the urge of instinct, I picked paths at random, not even paying attention to where I passed—nowhere logical in my path, that was sure. Several irritated minutes later, I found myself outside the Shrine. Still trying to catch my breath, I stepped inside the gates, relieved that those still took me to where I needed to go.

There were a few followers here and there, but the crowds of the festival had long passed. Without an official service going on, guests were free to pay their respects at the Shrine without much wait. Heading that direction, I spotted Fri and Fuji off to the side. Instinct pushed back the doubts swelling in my throat and stepped forward.

“Hey.”

“Jiiiijriiii!” Fuji cheered with extra trill than normal, detaching from her sister and clinging to me instead. Not having much choice in the matter, I stood my ground. “You were so cooooool catching the——! Nee-chan — suuuper impressed.”

“Don’t — talking — — you don’t —,” Fri said, her voice cutting in and out on its way to my ears. I wasn’t sure if that was more confusing or the smile she gave me. There was even a blush scattered across her cheeks. “I really — — — —, Jijri. You — —”

The world blacked out without warning. Hot dread tumbled throughout my stomach. Electricity surged across my palm, and I snapped it up to my eye level. For a moment, pixels scattered across my hand, blurring my vision, before I, too, vanished into the darkness.

Once again bodiless, I tried to get a grasp on where I was. Something had shut down, but I was still present, instinct no longer guiding me. No, it was there, just not interested in my anymore. This place, blank and empty as it was, was where I was supposed to me. But instinct didn’t know that, and I understood its intentions very clearly.

_No, wait._

My voice didn’t emerge, didn’t reach anyone’s ears. I didn’t have any control anymore, and the excitement of a journey was gone. Disappointment flooded into me, not enough to erase my terror as high pitched, singular note tones prompted another flash of text across my vision.

_[Are you sure you want to reset this data?]_

_No. Please don’t do it!_

Against my will, the answer selected was _[Yes]_.


	10. File Nine: Response Prompt

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

File Nine: Response Prompt

* * *

The smell of spiced beef and pasta drifted through the air as I drifted back to consciousness. Underneath it were a number of scents Errat’s culinary experience could surely identify in moments, but all I could say was that they smelled good. And that my head was pounding, a throb at the back of my skull just forceful enough to keep me awake. I tried to keep my eyes shut as long as possible, but they cracked open all the same, coaxed by the blend of moonlight through the window and lightbulbs from another room. Sitting up and adjusting to vision, I recognized the dim outline of the Noda family’s living room.

Unlike my own house, which had hardly changed its layout since I was a brat, the Nodas’ home was constantly shuffling in new souvenirs from their culinary research trips, as it were. In the dark, that didn’t matter much. Pulling myself to a sit, I slowly moved my hand to find the coffee table’s edge. From there, it only took moments to find the glass left for me, cool to the touch as I raised it up for a drink, ice clinking in water all the way.

_How did I even get here, though?_

I had been talking with Nochi when that weird guy showed up. He was bad news. Definitely bad news. Even being away from him couldn’t erase the feeling in my gut. The only thing worse than that primal caution was the memory of my dream, terror blurring together with my migraine.

_[Are you sure you want to reset this data?]_

I shuddered. A reset. I didn’t like the implication of those words. To go back to a previous point, to restart from there. Anything after that point, gone. I didn’t know where that point was, but I didn’t want to lose anything. I would even take my failure at the Shrine Ceremony over everything I had done since I had started my journey disappearing.

_I don’t want to forget myself._

I groped blindly for the table again, catching sight of the provided coaster and setting my glass down on it. I didn’t want to invoke the wrath of the Noda patriarch should I stain his imported table—I couldn’t even remember which region it had come from, but it cost a pretty Poké. Trying to ignore the slick of condensation on my hands, I hugged myself, blanket and all.

It had been so easy. Just a question, just a careless click. All of it, gone. The same steadfast instinct that had lead me to the Championship and beyond had erased everything without a second thought.

I tried to convince myself it was just a dream by focusing on my surroundings, but it didn’t do much. Sure, my blanket cocoon was cozy, but it couldn’t keep away the problems that were inside me. The best I could do was focus on the slight clatter coming from the kitchen, which gave way to footsteps.

“Dude, you’re up,” Errat stage whispered from the entrance to the kitchen. His long legs quickly closed the distance between us, stopping by the end table to click on the lamp. Soft light filled the room and Errat sat down on the far end of the couch from me, cradling a mug. “How are you feeling? Sick? Nauseous? I know things are stressful, but you need to take care of yourself.”

Still hugging my knees, I tucked my chin over their caps. “I feel like crap.”

“You don’t look much better,” Errat joked, stuck in the awkward silence of the aftermath. His eyes darted around the room before falling back on me. “Sorry.” I shrugged. “Seriously, what happened? Passing out is bad news, Jijri. I’m worried about you.”

“I’m just more impressed that I woke up in silence,” I said. I associated the Noda family with bustling energy and chatter about cooking. Seeing any part of their home empty just felt wrong. “Shouldn’t your mom be fussing by now?”

Errat sent a wayward glance to the ceiling. “It’s kinda late, you know.” Considering the darkness inside and out, I guessed that was right. How long had I been unconscious for? “Everyone’s getting their rest. Tomorrow’s the last day of the festival; we can’t start slacking now.” Even if the day itself wasn’t as busy in terms of crowds, there was still a number to be done in Festival cleanup. Fri probably had contributed to that particular battle plan as well.

I grimaced, blocking my expression with a mouthful of blanket. “So why are you up?”

“I’m taking care of your ass,” Errat griped, offering me his mug. Knowing that denying a Noda’s food (in their own household nonetheless) was tantamount to standing unmoving from the line of fire of a Hyper Beam, I accepted the offering. “Soup,” he elaborated. Warmth pooled at my fingers and garlic pricked at my nose, sending my stomach to attention.

Silencing my mouth and my appetite, I raised the mug to my lips, cheese and potato meeting my tongue. Errat watched me eat before heaving out a sigh.

“Well,” he said, “if you’re not gonna tell me why this total stranger found me at my booth freaking out that you were unconscious and asked me for help…” Errat let the guilt trip hang for a moment. While I felt bad for Nochi having to deal with such BS on my behalf, I only furthered the intake of my soup. Errat huffed, but concluded, “Then talk to me about Fri.”

I nearly choked mid-swallow. I had been expecting a lecture about the Shrine Ceremony, not the aftermath. Thumping my chest in hopes of clearing my airway, I croaked, “That’s unfair.”

“What’s unfair is how you two treated each other,” Errat accused, pointing a finger in my direction. I sunk farther into the cushions. “One of the maidens dropped by the stand afterwards and told me what happened. I expect better of you two, as Champion and Shrine Ceremony Coordinator. But, frankly, I expect better of you two as _my friends_.” Mortification joined the pit of tumbling emotions in my chest. Errat dropped his hand, not once breaking his gaze with me. “You know she didn’t mean it,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“You didn’t mean it, either.”

“_Doesn’t matter_,” I growled out. Regardless of our intentions, Fri and I had said some awful shit. Becoming close to another person made you pretty prone to attacks by them. I’d betrayed her trust when I started insulting her dreams, just the same way she did to me. I sipped at my soup before I could ruin my remaining childhood friendship.

Errat propped his hand up on his fist with an unimpressed stare. The real question as which one of us was more fed up with my attitude. “It does matter,” he pressed. He knew how to be stubborn, but sometimes he took it the whole nine meters. “Listen, we’ve all been friends since we were brats. I know just as well as you do that this will pass.”

Strange to think it had been over a decade since we had met. In our region, kids weren’t allowed to handle Pokémon until they were way older for safety. Instead, we had attended the small school tucked alongside the east end of town. Being in the same age group, we ended up in the same class rotations a lot. Errat and I met through a scuffle on the playground, and Fri had come to break it up.

Watching their roles reversed was frankly disorienting.

“I mean, we’re adults now,” Errat continued, tugging off his bandana and running a hand through his hair. “You two are capable of talking things out and understanding each other.” What, understanding that I had fucked everything up? Nochi had implied otherwise about the Ceremony, but she wasn’t from here. What could she possibly know? “I mean, if you need time, just take time. But don’t give up on each other, okay?”

Pleading concern flickered over Errat’s expression, even through the dim shadows. I didn’t know what to say in response. What I should say was at total odds with what I was feeling. Talk it through? It would be easier to pretend that it hadn’t happened, but I wouldn’t be able to forget. Despite the happiness I had felt on my and Fri’s date, there wasn’t an easy fix to this.

“Jijri, come on, this isn’t—”

“Enough.”

I stood, blanket tumbling to the floor. I thudded the empty soup mug to the table. Consideration for the resting had been then only thing stopping me from slamming it down, from raising my voice. Errat stared in open-mouthed confusion. I stopped watching his expression as I headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Errat fumbled for words, hissing as a crack of impact with the table echoed throughout the living room. I stumbled about in the dark, finding my pack and shoes by the front door as expected. “You just passed out, you shouldn’t—“

“I’m going out,” I answered, pausing at the harsh tone left in my voice. Heaving a sigh as I forced my foot into its respective sneaker, I swapped to the best semblance of polite I could muster. “Errat just…let me be for a while. I really can’t do this right now.”

Errat’s footsteps stopped. “If you need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.”

“Yeah.”

I undid the lock and stepped outside. Crisp air breezed across my bare arms, and I wished for my blanket cocoon back. Errat would even let me in if I knocked, but I couldn’t bring together the words to properly talk to him. Or have the right state of mind to have him lecture me. My journeys had lead me through the night plenty of times, so I was used to the travel. Rubbing my arms for a bit of heat, I wandered into the surrounding trees.

Plenty of wild Pokémon scurried about in the woods, but I didn’t focus on them. They were low level anyways, plus were used to people. Calling out Wicker would have given me some extra security, but she didn’t deserve to deal with my fowl mood.

Simmering, I went through the tress with no real warning and ended up on Festival territory, back in the entertainment sector. With the sheer amount of space the thing took up, it wasn’t too surprising. The entire thing was empty, save for fragments of trash scattered out and about. The early morning Festival Committee folks would tidy it up before things picked up. Not even stall owners were running maintenance. It was seriously too late to be wandering around like this.

It didn’t stop me from wandering around anyway. Even though I wanted to rely on my best friend, talking to Errat wouldn’t solve the real problem. If I wanted to push aside my self-doubt and start to search for another reason the Shrine Guardian hadn’t arrived, I needed more clues. Nochi thought the secret rested in my dreams.

Thinking them back over, there wasn’t much to work with. Nochi hadn’t seemed to think so, either. Not until I had brought up the first dream, the one with Wicker. How had that dream been different?

A lot of ways. For one, it wasn’t an endless loop. I had existed in that dream, traveled. I had existed in my most recent dream, too, but that one wasn’t different, too. I had traveled around town, as mixed up as it had been. In the first one, I hadn’t recognized where I was. It hadn’t been somewhere in the region I had explored before, and I had seen every last corner chasing after Wicker.

No, in my previous dream, I had been somewhere different. That completely black place with the text in the air. I had passed it off as nonsense from my subconscious, but that wasn’t it. Despite everything, I felt like I belonged there, as if that void was somewhere I _had_ to be.

“‘Return to the title screen and…’ And what?” I mumbled. Trying to think didn’t give me any results. It was like I had never heard the end of that sentence. Stopping my pacing, I kicked a nearby stand. “And what?!” I shouted, balling my hands into fists. “What is that even supposed to mean?!”

“Well, if you’d mentioned that to Nochi, she could have given you a hint.” I whirled around, finding the glowing guy from before standing in the alley of stalls. My stomach twisted on sight. The lack of tree cover let more moonlight shine over us, making his…skin condition a bit less obvious. The guy brushed some checkered hair out of his face, adding, “Poor move on your part, kid.”

I scowled at his choice of words. Professor Spruce calling me _bozu_ on and off somehow felt less humiliating. “Who’s the kid here?” I retorted, crossing my arms across my chest. Whatever this guy had done before had made me pass out, but showing fear didn’t seem like a good idea at all. “With a baby face like that, you probably should still be in daycare.”

He pouted for a moment, puffing out the already round edges of his face, before trying to cover the expression up with a chuckle. He may have been taller than Nochi (which didn’t seem that difficult of a feat), but he was easily several centimeters shorter than me. “Well,” he said, recovering, “I may be a lot younger than I look, but I still know a lot more than you do.”

My further attempt at a burn died at his words. I had to concede that point. I didn’t know anything. And while Nochi seemed like she had clues, this guy clearly knew something, too. I couldn’t wait until morning to find the girl for answers. If something like my dream came true just because I had dawdled…

“Well if Nochi could give me a hint, can you give me something more?” The guy placed a palm across his lapels and dipped his head in a short bow. _At your service, my ass_, I griped. “Actually, who are you anyway?”

The guy stood up straight, a superior glint flashing through his eyes—or maybe it was just their shining state. He tucked both hands into his pockets. “All the Champions,” he said, an almost wistful tone to his voice, “they’re always kids just like you. The newest generation of Champions, that is.” I frowned. The past half a decade had seen a number of new Champion inductees taking their places. I was just one of many. “Though you’ve all been getting friendlier over the years. I think you’re the chattiest. Oh, and the oldest, with your rules and all.”

Other regions hadn’t been as meticulous about their age restrictions on being a traveling Pokémon trainer, some even allowing kids to start their journey as early as ten. Here, you had to be at least sixteen, though I had delayed my own journey due to the loss of my mother. It was weird to think that once I started attending League conferences, I’d be surrounded mostly by Champions not much older than Fuji.

Not that the guy seemed to be getting anywhere with his rambling.

“To put it simply,” he continued, looking like he was enjoying himself, “at this point I’m only an observer.”

“I honestly was asking for your name.”

“Ah.” He giggled, looking way too much like a kid for his earlier intense expression. If it weren’t for the uproar in my gut, I wouldn’t get why Nochi was so ambivalent towards him. “Pixel No. Just Pixel is fine.”

“Jijri. Though, considering your reactions, you already know that.”

“See? I know lots of things.” Pixel smiled as he stepped towards me, freeing a hand from his pocket to offer a shake. “I can definitely help you out of this mess. What do you say?”

I watched his unwavering, glowing hand. My headache returned in full force, pounding like Errat hammering the Noda family stall together. Trusting this guy was a bad idea. I didn’t trust him. I just didn’t have a choice. Between the unknown entity before me and the fate of deletion looming, going with Pixel was the lesser of two evils.

I went to shake his hand, only to have a Chandelure knock me flat on my ass, almost cracking my head against the stall behind me. Pixel jumped back, orange eyes forming luminous slits in the dark. The Chandelure hovered in front of me, smelling of oil and heat, its purple flames casting a new glow over the alley.

“That’s enough out of you,” Nochi’s voice barked, stepping out of the shadows between two stands. Her earlier dress had been replaced with pure black form fitting fabric, hair pushed out of her eyes by a white headband. Judging by the Pokéball hooked to her waist, the Chandelure was yours. “I warned you before, Pixel. _Flicker._”

Nochi held up a single finger. The Chandelure in front of me summoned small flames around it, which remained in an orbit. It recognized its moves by hand signals. I had only seen that a handful of times in my journey, and nothing good ever followed.

“Rude,” Pixel huffed, a couple meters separating him from both Nochi and her Pokémon. I stood up, using the stall behind me for support, my head swimming through muddy water. “I helped you find Errat, you know. Jijri could have just been left on the forest floor otherwise.”

“I didn’t need your help,” Nochi retorted, her finger remaining steady as she took metered steps towards Pixel. Chandelure floated forward in unison, the heat shifting away with it. “I don’t need your ‘help’ now. I can see the data just fine, just like I can _see_ the hack in your palm.”

“What? This palm?” Pixel held up the same hand he had offered me, wiggling his fingers. Something across his skin _rippled_, though it was hard to tell with Chandelure in the way. “I’m only sending Jijri where he needs to go.” Pixel dropped his cheery tone, his pitch dropping as he said, “Last I checked, you can’t do that.”

Nochi’s finger pointed downward. Before I could even register it as a signal, Chandelure had already launched the collection of flames around it at Pixel in a swirl of Will-O-Wisp. I didn’t blink, but Pixel vanished, the fire attack colliding harmlessly with the dirt path.

“That’s adorable,” Pixel chirped from beside me. I jumped at his presence and scurried back a few steps, keeping my eyes on his hands. One hovered in the space where my shoulder had been moments before. Pixel kept his eyes on Nochi. “Are you sure you really want to send your precious Flicker after me? You know what I could do to him.”

Flicker rushed past me—I hadn’t even seen Nochi’s signal. Darkness swirled near the Pokémon’s mouth, the Shadow Ball aimed straight for Pixel. The boy sighed, shrugged, and raised his hand, setting off a tsunami in my stomach.

Stepping into the battlefield like a complete and utter moron, I stood between Flicker and Pixel. The Chandelure hesitated, holding its attack in place. Pixel raised an eyebrow before doubling over with a cackle.

“Gonna attack the one you’re trying to save there, girlie?” he snickered.

Nochi stood upright, her eyes on me. The combination of Pixel’s white and Flicker’s purple glows bled into the moonlight, leaving Nochi’s expression partially covered by shadow. “You can’t trust him, Jijri,” she said. “I did once, and it didn’t lead to anything good. You don’t have to make the same mistake.”

“But I’m just supposed to trust you?” I asked, tone harsher than what I intended. “I know you’re a friend of the Professors’ and all, but you haven’t explained anything to me at all.” Pixel snickered again, and I jabbed a thumb in his direction. “He’s been more talkative than you have.”

“He’s got a point,” Pixel sang. “You look just as suspicious as I do at this point, Nochi.”

Flicker growled, the Shadow Ball contrasting against its purple body even in the darkness. Pixel held up his hands in mock surrender.

“I didn’t knock him out in the middle of the forest,” Nochi retaliated. “I think that counts for something.”

“_I _think,” I interjected, “you should let me decide that for myself.” Pixel nodded, but Nochi’s frown didn’t shift. I gestured to Flicker’s ready-to-fire form. “Now if we could stop this little warzone before we break something important, that would be great.” The last thing I needed was to get in trouble for any damages to the Festival. Fri hated my guts enough as it was.

Pixel only maintained his pose of surrender. Nochi sighed, “Flicker,” and the Chandelure floated back to her side, dispersing the Shadow Ball. Instead of reaching for the Pokéball at her waist, she crossed her arms. “What do you want to know?”

Pixel let out an exaggerated gasp. “You’re actually gonna tell someone?” he teased. “Man, I bet that Black would have appreciated that. I guess that the lucky color is—”

“Don’t talk about Touya that way.” Flicker flared up at his trainer’s words, each flame easily doubling in height. Nochi patted her Pokémon’s arm, his fire returning to its regular size. He glared at Pixel, though. Nochi returned her focus to me. “Sorry. Where would you like me to start?”

“What’s going on here would be nice.” I lifted my hat, pushing stray fragments of hair back underneath it. “You all seem to know why the Shrine Guardian didn’t show up. Let’s start there.”

Nochi paused, looking to Pixel for a moment. He waved his hand in a “get on with it” motion. Nochi inhaled and said, “The Shrine Guardian was supposed to show up for your challenge. You, as the hero, were supposed to fight and possibly capture it. That would be up to your merit, or rather, your player’s merit.

“However, the event is proceeding without the proper input from the player—you, Jijri, are following a story path independently. For you, this is a problem because you’ve busted the order. That’s why the ceremony failed. Something is allowing you to act on your own without any guidance.” She paused, Flicker’s flame wavering the grimace on her face. “At least, that’s what I can tell. I’m not the best at reading data.”

“Okay, hold on a second,” I said, failing to keep my headache from intensifying. Professor Maple’s suggestion to go home and sleep was sounding like a pretty good idea right now. “When you say ‘player,’ you don’t mean like…”

I trailed off, but Nochi didn’t answer. She looked like she’d come out on the wrong side of a sour Poképuff.

Pixel stepped closer, though I made sure to keep out of arm’s reach. “Let me try,” he offered, and Nochi didn’t try to stop him. “Think about what you said before. _Title screen, data, player_—what does that make you think of?”

The answer was so obvious I didn’t even want to say it out loud.

Luckily, Pixel grinned and carried on, saving me the trouble. “I’m sure you can put the rest together,” he said, and I nodded. They were implying my life was a goddamn video game. Given my dreams lately, I was inclined to believe them. “You mentioned the title screen—and that’s where your error has relocated that mythical Pokémon for you.” He waved his hand through the air, and this time I could catch the blur of pixels surrounding it. “I could relocate you there, too, if you like.”

“It would be dangerous,” Nochi said. Pixel rolled his eyes, dragging trails of vibrant pixels in the wake of his fingers. “Jijri, you’ve only gained enough self-awareness to operate without a player. This can happen when a game has been abandoned for a time. But if you don’t do anything, though, they may come back and restore you to the previous save state, and you’ll be fine. If you go through with it, though, you could corrupt the data beyond repair. What could happen to your game then is out of even Pixel’s influence.”

Whatever weight her statement carried was brushed off by Pixel’s snort. “Oh, and deletion’s better?” he prompted, hands resting on his hips. “You and I have more than one outlet point to return to. This guy doesn’t.” Pixel pointed right at me, mirroring my previous gesture. “You’ll forget you ever existed—go back to being a happy vessel. Is that okay with you?”

Everyone’s eyes turned on me. Even Flicker stared, two yellow discs in the dark. I rested my hand on my pack where Wicker’s ball rested. Just how far back was the previous save state? How much would I be losing if I just sat around and let my player handle things? Would that be better than possibly corrupting everything, losing everything? And for what? My dream?

_Yes, for my dream._

“I’ve waited long enough,” I said.

Pixel whistled over Nochi’s flabbergasted “_Huh?_”

“I have to accomplish this,” I continued, though I felt more like I was talking to myself. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I finally have the chance. Fri worked hard for my sake, so I gotta work hard for hers, too.” If I managed an encounter with the Shrine Guardian and brought it back, we could still receive its blessing. We could still be safe. “I’m not giving up on my dream just because some _player_ doesn’t want to deal with me anymore.”

Nochi had said _self-awareness_ like it was a bad thing.

I didn’t believe that.

Flicker nudged at Nochi’s side with one of his arms, and she raised a hand to meet it. Flicker crooned at the touch. “I won’t stop you,” Nochi whispered, her hard expression melting. With all that concern, she almost looked the same as the girl that stood by N’s side. Her true identity wasn’t something I could judge. “But please…be careful. You don’t want to be in the hero’s position and something goes wrong. It just…” She looked down, pain flashing across her expression. I didn’t have the right to press her, and so I stayed silent.

“Well,” Pixel drawled, flicking his wrist out in front of him. The distortion surrounding his hand had grown, causing his fingers to spark, but it didn’t seem to affect him much. “My turn then.” A thoughtful expression caught on his face. “Oh, did you want to prep anymore? You have a bunch of items, but only one Pokémon?”

“Wicker will be enough,” I answered. I had planned on challenging the Shrine Guardian with her alone at the Ceremony. Just because the venue had changed didn’t mean that my strategy needed to. “She and I can handle this. Don’t you sweat it.” Funnily enough, I felt as confident as I sounded.

“Heh.” Pixel offered out his hand, glitches and all, with a grin. “I hope you make it, Jijri. I could use a Champion like you around.”

I tried to think of something clever to say as I took his hand, but my voice vanished along with the rest of the Festival alley, and then I was gone.


	11. File Ten: Progress Save

**Save State**

By: Aviantei

File Ten: Progress Save

* * *

It felt like I was being torn apart, piece by piece, then reformed, also piece by piece, except it didn’t hurt as much as you’d expect. It was like puzzle pieces being gently lifted up one at a time, then slipped back together. Sparks of electricity rolled through my body as I regained my footing—a newborn Pichu’s Thunder Wave would have hurt more. Vast, dark, and empty space spread out before me, but I focused more on what was inside me.

Pixel had performed a hack to send me towards the title screen, but he had done more than that. He had also added knowledge to my database, which made a lot of things make much more sense. I understood the data surrounding me, the data that _made_ me and my world. If I focused on my outstretched arm, I could see the codes running right underneath it in ones and zeros. The same numbers rolled beneath my surroundings, though their formations were less complex.

I had been dropped off just short of the title screen, and it would only take one short hack to complete my journey. Pixel had also granted me the ability to make that leap myself. It was knowledge he could have granted Nochi, but never did.

Whatever he was so excited to have me around for, he must’ve thought I needed to be equipped for it.

I adjusted my arm perpendicular to me, palm facing forward. Whatever Pixel was planning was secondary to my dream. A data error had prevented the Shrine Guardian from appearing, and now I was committing a data error to fight it. I had already chosen to go forward; now I had to act on it.

Manipulating the data was surprisingly easy. I simply willed the path to open, and I could feel my puzzle pieces disassembling again. Within moments, I registered at the title screen, orange filling my vision with no sense of depth perception. I wondered if I had shot myself in the wrong direction, but caught sight of a data trail off to my right. I had landed on the correct game tier, but not in the center. That was where I needed to be.

My body intact, it was surprisingly easy to walk without any foothold. The orange shifted into paler tones, until I found a circular white patch in the distance. I approached closer, catching sight of a small shadow in the center. Remembering my first dream, I expected it to hulk over me once I stood in front of it, but the Shrine Guardian barely reached halfway to my knees.

Looking about as intimidating as the plush dolls Fri owned as a kid and just as artificial, the Shrine Guardian’s plastic skin reflected the orange surrounding us. Their arms were long enough for its hands to touch the ground beneath their stubby legs, and they looked up at me with yellow button eyes. Remembering whose presence I was in, I clapped my hands together and bowed.

“Thank you for your protection,” I stated, only for the Shrine Guardian to let out a sad cry a pitch lower than Wicker’s. “I’m sorry that you were sent here. I would have liked to challenge you at the Ceremony, but it’s too late for that. Instead, I’d like to fight for the right to capture you and bring you back to our town, if that’s acceptable.”

It was hard to read the Shrine Guardian’s expression with their unmoving face. But they nodded, and I gave my thanks before stepping back. Before I could reach into my pack, the Shrine Guardian inhaled, their newest cry echoing throughout nothingness. Their arms and legs disconnected at the joints, expanding section by section until what stood before me was a massive, hulking Pokémon made of discarded toys that dated back through several decades.

Even in the broken state of my game, the battle setup activated, music and all. The Shrine Guardian’s HP gauge hovered in the corner of my vision, but I brushed it away. From my point of view, I had completed my journey without that layout and could capture the Shrine Guardian just the same way. The only thing I took time to notice was its name.

_Omocherub._

They stood in wait, the same intimidating structure from my first dream. How I hadn’t put the pieces together was beyond pathetic. The only thing missing from that scenario was Wicker. Regaining my composure, I finally pulled out the Master Ball, calling my own legendary to the field.

“Naaaaa!” she called triumphantly, not even balking at Omocherub’s size in front of her. While they would have been the same size before the Shrine Guardian had transformed, she might as well have been a Joltik standing next to a Wailord. Wicker looked over her shoulder to me, waiting on orders. “Leef!”

“R-right!” I said, taking in another deep breath. I couldn’t chicken out now. I had become the Champion for Arceus’s sake! Fighting a legendary wasn’t something to be afraid of. “I guess we’ll start off, then. Wicker use—um, well…”

This was actually our first fight together. Having let me catch her without a battle, I had never even seen one of Wicker’s moves. There was a possibility the Professors had coaxed some data out of her, but I hadn’t caught wind of it. No wonder Professor Spruce looked at me like a complete moron when I suggested soloing the Shrine Ceremony with only Wicker.

My hacking ability would have made it easy to bring up her move set, or even summon one of my Champion team members to the battlefront. Beyond the fact that I didn’t feel comfortable using a brand new ability on one of my friends without knowing the effects, I had also decided to take on this challenge with Wicker. We were gonna have to do this the old fashioned way.

Omocherub was apparently done with the grace period it had given us, lashing out its arm with a roar. Not even needing an order, Wicker jumped over the strike, landing on her feet. Hunching her shoulders, she opened her mouth to the sky, a blaze of pink light forming overhead. “Naaaaaaaaa…leeeeef!”

At Wicker’s command, the light focused on one point, striking Omocherub in the chest. The Shrine Guardian hardly moved in place, letting out a low groan. Even if its bulk made toppling it difficult, we had still landed some damage. Wicker hopped back and forth, staying limber.

“Remember,” I called. “We want to catch them, not knock them out! Hit hard, but make sure we don’t go overboard.”

“Na!” Wicker cried in affirmation, jumping over Omocherub’s swinging arm. Their claws dug into even the orange space surrounding us, separating chunks of data without damaging the overall code. Their transformed state gave them power, but Wicker had the advantage in speed.

“Go for another strike!”

Omocherub seemed to be thinking the same thing as its claw struck out towards Wicker, colliding with her in midair. She skidded across the ground, but used the momentum to roll back onto her feet. She ran back at Omocherub, scaling their dormant arm. Omocherub shook their arm in an attempt to dislodge her, but Wicker jumped into the air, green light forming at her mouth.

“_Leef!_”

Tree branches grew from the light, pounding into Omocherub’s shoulder. I didn’t know the attack name, but it was definitely a grass move. It also carried much more power, Omocherub slouching from the attack. Wicker landed on the ground, wary of the next attack. I stepped back, wondering what sort of range a Pokémon that big could have.

Omocherub snapped straight up, bearing its chest with a roar. I covered my ears, and Wicker’s ears dropped from the noise. That hadn’t been a random display of power—intuition told me that much.

“Stay on guard!” I warned. “We don’t know what the Shrine Guardian is capable of!”

Wicker didn’t give a verbal response, only spreading out her stance with her grass attack forming in her maw again. There were an infinite number of options of what to expect from an opposing Pokémon in battle. But none of that mattered if you could hit them harder and faster.

What a Pokémon after my own heart.

Wicker raised her head to aim, but Omocherub’s arm lashed out much faster than before, sending my Naleef flying once again. Faint traces of shadow lingered on Omocherub’s claw before fading—a ghost or dark type move? I couldn’t say for sure. All I knew was that whatever buff Omocherub had given themselves, it definitely involved an increase of speed, stripping our main advantage.

“Leef naleef na!” Wicker scolded as she stood up. My doubt must have reached her. She shook herself out, the same pink light as before forming above her. Unlike the blast it had produced before, this time it rained down on Wicker in a pale beam of light. There wasn’t any dirt to get on her, but the faint damage chips in her coat of bark healed over.

_Moonlight._ In retrospect, I was grateful I hadn’t had to fight Wicker to capture her. That healing ability would have been more frustrating than chasing her around the whole damn region. “It’s good you have that move, but try to save it, okay? I have potions if you need them!”

Wicker’s affirmative was lost in Omocherub’s next roar. If they had boosted their speed again, this could be trouble. Concentrating on my job, I was about to order another round of the grass attack when Wicker launched it herself. She even took the follow up run I was planning on ordering, circling to Omocherub’s back. I couldn’t see Wicker from the angle, but the Shrine Guardian couldn’t turn as fast as they could lash out, their claws dragging across the orange mass of ground.

Another blast of pink light struck from Wicker, which was good because I was still scrambling to think of something to call the move. Omocherub reeled for a second, before charging a few steps forward, knocking Wicker back and forth between their palms. Assault done, they held Wicker on level with their face, letting out a soft rumble.

Wicker slumped in their grip. “You gotta get out of there!” Despite the order, Wicker didn’t budge. Looking closer, she had gone completely limp as Omocherub tossed her to the ground. She rolled across the ground, but didn’t budge. She should have had enough HP left after healing herself, so why wasn’t she moving?

Ignoring Omocherub’s height above me, I dropped to my knees, sliding the remaining distance to Wicker. Her air still flowed in even, peaceful breaths. Omocherub had put her to sleep. Unable to switch her out without forfeiting the battle, I dug into my pack and administered a Full Restore, Wicker perking up within moments.

“Let’s not do that again,” I said, brushing a few stray twigs off Wicker’s back. Even if Full Restore took care of the damage, it seemed she grew new bark instead of reattaching the old pieces. “You have any status condition moves? It might make this easier.”

“Na!” Wicker cheered, bouncing onto my lap. The ground shook as Omocherub stepped closer, and Wicker stood between us. I took the hint and stood, understanding her intention. Whatever move she had in store required her to get close, so we had to time things right.

The data Pixel had left me with made it possible to understand her. Not necessarily her words, but her feelings. She had been reading my attack ideas the same way. Despite not knowing each other for long, we could fight like a well-oiled Klinklang,

Nodding at my partner’s enthusiasm, I threw my arm outward for added effect. “Then let’s not play around! I’m gonna leave this to you!”

“Naleef!”

Omocherub raised their claws together again, forming their own orb of pink light. This time I could see the shapes of various toys forming off of it, almost dancing with each other. Wicker waited for Omocherub to aim, then sprinted out of the way of the line of phantom toys rushing at her. I was left with pink skeletons of toys overflowing the ground at my feet, vanishing into pink dust.

Wicker had much better luck, scaling up Omocherub’s side. The Shrine Guardian swatted at her, but my Naleef jumped to land on the extended arm, heading straight for their shoulder. Once there, Wicker leapt from the joint, her nose pressing into Omocherub’s face before she fell to the ground.

I almost wondered if her attack missed—until Omocherub started to sway. _Sweet Kiss._ The Shrine Guardian was now confused, the toys in their limbs shaking to stay together. When Omocherub moved, the trinkets began to scatter, reducing the Pokémon’s body size.

This was the moment to strike, and Wicker knew it just as well as I did. Charging up her grass attack again, Wicker shot of the tree branches straight into Omocherub’s chest. The Shrine Guardian tumbled over in an explosion of toys, their form shrinking back down to their smaller size. Running forward so I was in range, I pulled an empty Ultra Ball from my pack and threw for the capture.

My aim was dead on, the ball hitting against Omocherub’s shoulder. Instead of opening, it bounced back harmlessly, rolling across the ground.

I didn’t have any words until _You can’t capture a Pokémon that already has a trainer!_ flashed across my vision in black text.

The Shrine Guardian already had a trainer. I couldn’t believe such a thing. Surely that would have been part of its legend, then. No, the Shrine Guardian was only spotted once a year, and it had never acted used to humans. The only person I knew to have encountered it outside of the Shrine Ceremony had been me, and that was just a dream.

Unless it was part of my error instead.

Omocherub sat up, their yellow eyes looking right at me. “Che…” they cried, sounding just as sad as before. Wicker stood a few feet away, frozen by my own hesitation.

If I had actually encountered Omocherub before.

If that encounter had been true.

Even if I hadn’t battled them before.

_The vacuum cleaner was sitting beside me. I grabbed the nozzle and placed it over my opponent, my should-be prize. I flicked on the switch. Lifting up the nozzle, there was nothing left. Wicker nudged an empty Ultra Ball over to me from where it had fallen out of my pack earlier. Without even thinking, I sucked it up, too._

Opening my palm, I concentrated on the data surrounding me. Finding generic items in the code was easy, but a specific one took a bit more digging. I was able to find the Ultra Ball in question, materializing it in my palm. Omocherub perked up, chirping happily. Wicker let out a confused sound, watching me.

I pointed the Ultra Ball towards Omocherub and said, “Return.”

The familiar beam of red light reached out to the Shrine Guardian, who glowed a similar color before entering the Pokéball that was theirs.

I breathed out a laugh, not sure what else to think of the situation. Wicker trotted up to my side, equally jumbled, but still happy for me. I kneeled down to the ground, patting her head in thanks for the good job. A few seconds into my ministrations, a new string of text appeared before my eyes.

_[Would you like to save your game?]_

The answer I willed into place was _[Yes]_.

* * *

“Jiiiijriiii!” Fuji cheered with extra trill than normal, detaching from her sister and clinging to me instead. Not having much choice in the matter, I stood my ground. “You were so cooooool catching the Shrine Guardian! Nee-chan was suuuper impressed.”

“Don’t go talking about stuff you don’t know,” Fri said with both a smile and blush across her cheeks. “I really am proud of you, Jijri. You did great catching Polymer and completing the Ceremony for us. I couldn’t have asked for a better Festival.”

Two days had passed since the final day of the Festival, and our town was already back to normal. The stalls had been cleaned up in record time, only the few remnants of stall running stragglers remaining to settle any outstanding deals. Fri was already hard at work sorting out things for next year’s Shrine Ceremony, given that our Guardian now rested with me. That girl seriously didn’t know how to stop working. As a good boyfriend, I had stopped by the Shrine to check in with her.

“I’m just glad it worked out,” I said. “Things were really close for a minute, there. I almost thought I wouldn’t make it.”

Fuji nodded as she bounced, sending her long hair all over the place. “That’s ‘cause you’re the Champiooon!” she cheered. “Of course you did it. Jiiijriii can do aaanything!”

“Fuji-chan, quiet down. People are still visiting the Shrine.”

“Eep.” Fuji covered her mouth with her hands. “Sorry, Nee-chan.”

I patted Fuji’s head in reassurance, and she giggled in response. This kid liked a good petting just as much as Wicker. “If I were you, Fri, I’d be more worried about what Errat’s going to do for your punishment game. We did both beat you to our dreams, after all.”

Fri crossed her arms, eyeing me sideways. “I’m sure you won’t allow anything awful, will you.”

“Of course not.”

“Good.” Fuji giggled to herself, but did keep the volume down. Fri pulled out her phone to check the time, then sighed. “I shouldn’t be slacking off for too long, unfortunately.” As if this girl knew the definition of slacking off. “What’s on your plans for the rest of the day?”

I shrugged, pointing my thumb towards the trees. “Visiting the lab,” I reported. “The Professors are still curious about Polymer and Wicker, so they want me to be around. Plus N’s still hanging around, so I wanna see what he has to say.”

Fri nodded. “Sounds like you’re busy.” She smiled, nudging my side. “Walk me home if you can?”

“Sure thing.” I gave her hand a squeeze and looked around the Shrine before adding a kiss to her cheek. “See you later.”

“See you.”

Fuji jumped to flail her arm in the air as I walked away. I gave a tamer wave in response. “Laaateeer, Jijri! Bring Polymer to plaaay sometime!”

I chuckled, stretching my arms before heading down the path to the lab. Things had gone peaceful with the Festival, and my challenge at the Shrine Ceremony had been a success. I had completed my dream of capturing Omocherub, and my future with Fri had a clean slate in front of me.

The resolution to the glitch had reset things in a completely different manner.

Having recovered Omocherub from the title screen, the game had acknowledged my capture of Polymer. However, the only thread of data that could lead to that scenario was the challenge at the Shrine Ceremony. Following the stream of already accessible data instead of generating a new outcome to the scenario, the world acted as if Fri’s summons to the Shrine Guardian had been successful, and my battle had taken place there.

My argument with her afterwards didn’t exist. Neither did my meeting with N, Wicker’s declaration that I had been left behind, nor Errat’s carefully administered care to me after Pixel had knocked me out. To everyone else, those things didn’t exist.

Pixel had visited my house the following night to warn me of the changes, not that I couldn’t read the data myself. From there, the glitched boy disappeared. Though I had taken both Polymer and Wicker to visit N’s booth as a customer, he didn’t recognize me, and Nochi hadn’t been present, either.

The whole process left a rather bitter taste in my mouth. _I _still remembered, but I had to be cautious of letting that through. Fri and Errat were my closest friends, but I didn’t want to stress out their already busy final day of the Summer Festival by telling them.

Partway to the lab, the trees rustled in movement. Leaving Wicker and Polymer to the Professors, I had taken to keeping a few members of my Championship team on person just in case any other data corruptions happened. There was no need for hostility as Nochi stepped onto the path in front of me, back in her casual white dress.

We hadn’t been formally introduced before the Shrine Ceremony, so I wasn’t sure what to say. Someone like Pixel was immune from resets, but Nochi’s data patterns were a lot more normal. There was a chance we had never met, and tipping my hand would just make a fool of myself. I could have erased the memory from her and started fresh if I needed to, but I would have preferred not to go to such lengths.

“Jijri,” she said, which only half eased my concerns. I was still the Champion—and both she and N had known of me through the Professors before. “Natural’s at the lab right now. You don’t have to worry about letting him know.”

Tension drained from both my chest in shoulders like an frozen Pokémon up against a fire attack. At least there was someone I didn’t have to put a front up with, and she was easier to contact than Pixel. That guy had left a glitch trail for me to follow, but I wasn’t quite ready to head out of town yet.

“I’m glad you remember,” I said. “This whole ‘act like you caught Polymer at the Shrine Ceremony and it wasn’t a colossal failure’ thing is getting exhausting.”

Nochi smiled, short any mirth in her eyes. “Yes, it can be.” She waved me up to her side and started walking, boots sending up small clouds of dust on the path. A breeze blew by, and I enjoyed the fresh smells of summer trees. Nochi’s smile dropped as I approached her side, not quite flickering back to her stern expression two nights ago. “You do realize you’ve become an irregularity, right?” she whispered. “You can’t undo the save you created without repercussions.”

I frowned myself, keeping my eyes forward. We still had a bit until we reached the Lab, so this conversation wouldn’t get cut off at an inopportune time. “I don’t intend to undo the save,” I said. “Even if it wasn’t the way I was ‘supposed’ to, I accomplished my dream. You can’t take that away from me.”

I wouldn’t _let_ anyone take that away from me.

Nochi watched me in her peripheral, but looked away once I tried to make eye contact. Her expression went stoic, her words clipped: “I don’t intend to. I’m just worried about what will happen.”

“But you have more than one outlet to return to,” I said. Nochi’s eyes widened. Having access to the data log made it easier to recall exact conversations, even if they didn’t happen in the main script. “What exactly does that mean? This is my game, but you and Pixel…”

Nochi checked our surroundings, even going so far as to glance over her shoulder. There wasn’t a point since this path was free of any others besides Pokémon, so long as the program was followed. Satisfied with her assessment, she said, “Pixel’s a corruption in the Core Data. There are as many iterations of him as there are game cartridges.”

“And you?”

“I’m…” Nochi bit her lip, fear creasing her brow and sending worry into her eyes. “I’m an error that’s fooled everyone it’s supposed to exist.”

In other words, her data seemed real because they had programmed her as an actual part of the game. Where her origin file came from, I couldn’t read it. It must have existed outside of this iteration.

_In a game before mine._

I shook my head out. I couldn’t dwell on things like games and cartridges. All of us—Nochi, Pixel, myself—acted outside of mere programming. And even the others like Fri had enough awareness to act on their own when they no longer had data to follow.

We were more than that.

“What about N?” I asked to confirm. His data seemed normal to me, but then again I hadn’t seen anything wrong with Nochi, either.

“He’s fine,” Nochi answered with certainty. “Natural’s meant to be here.” Nochi brushed a thin lock of dark hair from her face, stowing it behind her ear. “We’re working on a time sensitive event, so we should be gone in a few days. Although I don’t know if the data is still going to follow that path.”

“Because I saved over it.”

“Because you saved over it,” she confirmed. She didn’t look angry, though. Just resigned. Sighing, Nochi clasped her hands behind her back before returning to her smile. “What about you, Jijri? What do you plan to do from here? With your ability to manipulate data now, you can do whatever you like.”

I no longer had to follow the game and its predisposed rules. I didn’t have to follow its events, either. My Player had gone through nearly all of the post-Game except the Shrine Festival. In that closed world, there wasn’t anything else for me to do.

“I’ll act as Champion,” I declared. I had decided already, but this was my first time saying it out loud. Even Fri and Errat didn’t know this was the path I had chosen for myself. “I’m sure something or another will come up. If not, all the paperwork will keep me occupied.”

Nochi examined my face, as if trying to detect a lie. Whether it was belief or disbelief as the cause, she let out a breathy chuckle. “Such a mundane ambition…I can admire that.”

I supposed you could take the joy out of anything if you added paperwork to the equation. Still: “It’s what I want.” The Professor’s Lab coming into sight, I stopped on the path, reaching out for Nochi’s shoulder. She paused at the contact, frozen. “Thanks for trying to help you. I’m sorry if I didn’t chose the outcome you wanted.”

And before she could give me a response, I jogged inside.

* * *

Another day of research with the Professors complete, I hiked up the hill to rest on my swing. The sunset covered the sky, and Wicker and Polymer struggled to take their places in my lap, more shoving each other out of the way in the process. Once they had settled, I rested my hands on their heads, each crooning from the petting.

“Naa,” Wicker whined, nudging her nose into my palm when I stopped. Even Polymer pawed at my other hand in concern with a soft “Omo?”

“Sorry.”

I resumed my ministrations, but my thoughts didn’t sharpen. Even without focusing, it was hard to forget this world was just numbers, a program built to execute for someone’s amusement. But when that person, the Player, stepped away, we still existed. We lived beyond that, and I was the proof.

“I want to bring life to this world,” I said.

“Leef!”

“Che!”

I hadn’t expected the immediate response, but there it was: my Pokémon wanted the same thing. Even if it was an impossibility, I wanted to try. Anything was better than sitting around, waiting for my former Player to come back and see the mess I had made. Even without that instinct, I could move forward.

“Alright, let’s do it!” I stood up, Wicker and Polymer jumping to flank my sides. “Starting right now, we’ll make a new life for ourselves and everyone else!”

I threw my arms out, embracing the world in front of me.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Location Perspective](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22153207) by [Aviantei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aviantei/pseuds/Aviantei)


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